More Scared of You than You Are of Me
by RainCourt
Summary: Lynn has made many mistakes, more than she'd ever dare to admit. And certain ones are looming over her until one day, when it all leads to yet another stupid mistake that hits right to the core of who she is. (Rated T for language/some violence/some sexual references.)
1. Prologue: (L)MIRL

**Author's Notes: This is my first fanfic, and it really should've debuted months ago. But I decided to put my best foot forward and plan this all out. If I want to be accused of anything for writing this, I hope it'll be grossly over-achieving.**

 **This story is one that comes from personal analysis of certain characters and events that have never, in my opinion, been addressed in a truly satisfying way.**

 **This is meant to be a long, character-focused story that's meant to tackle the consequences of these events and provide closure.**

 **The Loud House is trademark & copyright of _Nickelodeon_ , a subsidiary of _Viacom_ , and I claim no ownership of this property or these characters.**

 **The title is from an excellent album by _The Smith Street Band._**

* * *

In the early hours of the morning of what was promising to be a fairly ordinary, if slightly rainy day, the Loud House was quiet. From the pets to the parents, no one made a noise louder than a snore. The only other sound was from the drizzle that lightly pattering the leaves of the trees and the pavement of the street. But just because all was quiet didn't mean that nothing was happening. Not everyone in that house was asleep.

Inside, on the second floor, a bedroom door slowly opened, and one of the many sisters of the household quietly stepped out into the hall, being extra careful not to make noise as she closed the door behind her. She tiptoed her way down to the linen closet at the end of the hall, her sock-feet making nothing more than light padding sounds on the dark red carpet. Once there, she carefully nudged the door open and squeezed in, trying her best not to bump into any of the boxes that lined the floor. She closed the door behind her and took in a breath of surprisingly fresh air. The full moon was shining just past a cloud through the slightly open window, bathing most of the room in a cool blue light, with just a hint of orange from the nearby streetlight that cast its glow onto a part of the ceiling. The sound of the falling rain was easily covering the sound of breathing from the corner. She looked down and saw a blanket-covered mound curled up on the air-mattress lying in the right corner of the room.

She got down and crawled over until she was close enough to reach out and poke the blankets. She didn't, instead she leaned over to where she whispered, "Linc? Hey, you asleep?"

"Nah. Can't." He sniffled lightly.

"Me neither." She said quietly, getting down on her knees. "You okay?"

"I'm alright."

"What ya thinkin' about?"

He rolled over to look at her; he could barely see the nose in front of his face, let alone hers. "I made a wish earlier."

"What'd you wish for?"

"I wish I was back in our room."

"Dad said he'll get your bed moved tomorrow. You won't have to sleep on the floor again."

"Yeah, but I want our room back."

"He said it's better like this." She said in as quiet a voice as she could without whispering. "Mom said Lori and Leni need their space, and Luna and Luan are already sharing. And the twins are going to need to be together when they… "

"I'm lonely." He interrupted. He sat up, brushed his blanket off to the side and looked at her. She could barely see him clutch his Bun-Bun close to his tiny chest. "I miss you, Lynn."

Lynn reached out into the dark until her hand brushed her little brother's cheek. She could feel tears all along the side of his face. "I miss you too, Linky. So much." Lincoln didn't say anything, he just sniffled again and nuzzled her hand. "Hey, it's not all bad. You got your own room. That's good, right?"

"But I'm here, and you've still got to sleep with somebody."

"Lucy's not that bad. She's quiet, and a bit weird." She smiled. "I think that Tim Burton movie we saw went to her head a little."

He laughed. "Yeah, she got a kick out of that."

She laughed too, and put both of her hands in her lap. "I hope she doesn't let it, you know, be her thing. She's dramatic enough."

He replied with a moan of approval. She sat down, tucking her feet under her oversized sleeping jersey. Lincoln shifted so he was sitting cross-legged as well, so she and he were sitting exactly eye to eye. Even in the darkness she could still make out a glimmer of his white hair.

"You got a light?" She asked.

She barely saw him nod, and he shifted over slightly to a spot next to his bed. With the flick of a switch, the LED flashlight near his pile of comic books bathed the room in a sharp, white light that made Lynn put her hand up to cover her eyes. "Too bright."

Lincoln pointed the flashlight at the wall, softening the light significantly. "That good?" Lynn nodded as he settled back down, cross legged, with Bun-Bun still close to his chest. The two kids could only just look at each other, lost for words. Lynn looked directly into Lincoln's bright blue eyes, but he was looking slightly off to the side. He seemed to be intently studying the faded cream colored wall.

After some time had passed, Lynn finally said, "Hey, Linc, look at me." Lincoln sighed and looked back at her. "You don't need to be so down. I'm just down the hall. It's not like I'm going away or something."

Lincoln looked directly into her green eyes, so very unlike his own. "But we won't have our nights anymore. We'll need to go to bed without reading or talking anymore." He said gloomily as he looked down to his Bun-Bun.

She shifted forwards and placed a hand under his chin, pulling his gaze up to hers. "Linc, we can still play together and take our baths if you want. I know a little whale and a ducky who'd like that too." She looked down and gave Bun-Bun a poke on its plastic nose. "Hey there."

"He can't say anything."

She smiled. "Where's the fun in that?" She leaned down to look the bunny right in the eyes. "Now remember, you're supposed to take care of him when I'm not here, aren't you, girl?"

"Bun-Bun's a he." Lincoln said, as he slightly tightened his grip on his stuffed rabbit.

"Nope. I had her first, so I say she's a she."

"Well he's mine now and I say he's a he." Lincoln said, "And there's nothing you can do about it."

Lynn grinned, showing off her missing teeth. "Oh really?" Lincoln gulped, he couldn't help it. It was pure reflex, based on the glint in her eyes. Before he could even move, Lynn had catapulted towards him and started pulling at his shirt. "Come on. Stop struggling." She grunted as she tried to pull his orange pajama shirt over his head, causing him to drop Bun-Bun.

"It's cold!" He rasped from inside the depths of his shirt.

"It's not that cold." Lynn assured him as she finally pulled off his pajama shirt.

He shivered slightly as his bare back hit the mattress. "It is cold. Lynn, could we…" But he stopped as Lynn pulled off the massively oversized jersey she used for sleeping, leaving her in just her shorts and socks.

"We could still have our nights if you want." She said with a small smile as she laid next to him. "I'm not going anyplace."

"Can we go under the blankets?" Lincoln asked as he moved Bun-Bun next to his pillow. Lynn pulled the blankets up over the two of them. "You're never going to let anything get between us, will you? I mean, we're already rooms apart."

Lynn stared for a second, before grabbing Lincoln and pulling him into a hug. His smooth, indoor-kid skin rubbed not unpleasantly against the rougher, slightly sun-cooked skin of her chest. "Linky, you're my bro. You're better than any game could ever be."

"It's just – I heard someone talk about how comic guys and sports guys don't ever get along. And I don't want us to be like that."

She sighed, "Linc, I promise that I am never ever going to let any of my sports get in your way. You're always gonna be first." She looked directly into his eyes. "You're always number one."

He looked down and said, "Lynn, I promise I'll always be there for you, and if you ever need me, all you have to do is ask and I'll be there." She nodded, but didn't say anything. Lincoln moved his hand over her side to scratch her back. She sighed happily and reached over to start toying with a lock of his silky, snow-colored hair. As Lincoln ran his hand between his sister's freckled shoulder blades, he asked, "We'll be like this forever, right? You're never gonna be like those other sports guys?"

She placed her hand on the side of his round face as. They were so close that he could feel her breath as she said, "Never ever." She smiled, and then quickly leaned over to give him a giant wet smooch right on the lips.

"Ugh! Lynn!" He said as he recoiled and started furiously rubbing his lips with his forearm. "Gross!" He felt around and grabbed at his shirt to continue his scourging of the germs.

She put her head on her arm and started laughing. "You're silly. My silly Linky."

"Shut up." He said as he switched the flashlight off. They cuddled without a word for quite some time, until Lynn fell into sleep with her arms wrapped around her little brother. But there was one thing Lincoln did before he drifted off to dreamland; he promised himself that he would never forget that night. He wasn't going to be the kind of person to break a promise.

* * *

 **And that was the prologue, easily the shortest chapter of this behemoth.**

 **Next chapter has been written, and will be up soon.**

 **Critique is welcome, but please keep it constructive.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Quiet Morning Moments

**Author's Notes:** **One** **thing I didn't state at the beginning, but will be important to note, this is a story that's fundamentally built breaking down characters to a logical end result.**

 **Be prepared.**

 **Part One: Fall**

* * *

Lynn woke up with a snort. She shifted in bed, pushing her face further into the puddle of drool that had yet to soak into the mattress. _'What time is it?'_ She thought as she wiped the drool covered cheek onto her pillow. She turned over and looked at the window. The sky was a dark blue twilight that typically came with the pre-dawn hours. _'Too early. Way, way too early.'_

The thirteen-year-old rolled back over and shut her eyes. _'And why does it feel like I'm forgetting something?'_ She smacked her hand onto her forehead. _'C'mon, think! Shouldn't be that hard.'_ She spent several minutes trying to remember, but in the end, she just let her hand fall back onto the bed with a thud. _'Well, I guess there's no point trying to get back to sleep if it's just gonna keep bugging me.'_

She sat up, yawned, put her socks onto the carpet and stood, stretching her arms out over her head, which was enough to pull her tank-top over her belly. She put both of her hands on the small of her back and arched her spine back with a groan of relief. _'Probably should stretch a bit just to loosen things up. Give me a bit of time to try and figure out what I'm forgetting too.'_ She sat down on the floor and spread her legs to begin her routine stretches. As she leaned in to touch the toes on her left foot, she yawned again and scratched an itch on her scalp. ' _Wow, my hair feels weird. I better get it tied back before Leni wakes up, or I'm in for another forty-five-minute hair treatment session like she gave Lincoln last week.'_ She slapped the floor. _'Lincoln. He had something to do with it. But what was it?'_

She leaned in to touch her right toes. _'Lincoln, Lincoln, what were we up to?_ _Maybe that time with the football game?'_ She stopped and thought for a second. _'Nah.'_ She leaned down to touch both her feet. _'The time I bunked with you when Lucy pitched that fit?'_ _'_ She looked over at Lucy, who was dozing quietly, and she smiled. _'Yeah, that was nice. I really should've thanked him for that. But that ain't it.'_ She yawned as she stood. _'I should try and get back to sleep, it's way too early to be up, especially on a Friday.'_ She stopped moving. _'Today's Friday, isn't it? If it's Friday that means… I need a calendar.'_ Less than five seconds later she had blasted halfway down the stairs, leaving a rudely awoken Lucy in her wake.

"What happened now?" She droned, her voice slightly dry as she looked at the open door. "No peace for the peaceful. Sigh."

Lynn blasted downstairs and into the kitchen. She'd already flipped the lights on and bolted over to the calendar. "Come on, Friday!" She looked over the calendar, and once she found the day, she thrust her fist into the air. "Heck Yeah! The finals are here! Woo!" She skidded over to the fridge and opened it in one quick move. _'Now, where are you? Although, a sub's a bit heavy for the morning. I should really save it for later. It'll taste better with a side order of victory.'_ She chuckled _. 'Maybe just some oatmeal and a protein shake or something. That'll be enough to carry me until breakfast.'_

Lucy entered the kitchen, and Lynn was far too preoccupied with scouring the fridge to notice her even if Lucy wanted her to. Lucy decided to take a minute and watch her sister, so she stood just out of reach of any potential reflex reactions and watched Lynn lightly dance to a song only she could hear as she rifled through the eclectic mix of foodstuffs that came with such a large family.

 _'I should probably do my run. If I go to the end of the block, rest, and then keep going I can do double before school if I…'_

"Lola keeps her cookies behind the cabbage." Lucy said bluntly. The effect was as predictable as ever. Lynn jumped about two feet straight up in the air and spun around with her arms up in a defensive stance before she realized what'd just happened.

"Jeez, Luce, why do you keep on doing that?" She sighed and ran her hands through her loose hair.

"It's amusing." Lucy brushed past her with a gentle sweep of her arm, and shoved her hand into the salad drawer.

She pulled out two cookies and offered one to Lynn. "I really shouldn't."

"More for me then." Lucy made her way to the door, and Lynn opened her mouth to say something, but Lucy cut her off. "I know, by the way, about your game. So please don't tell me again." Lynn shut her mouth, and Lucy walked out.

Lynn blinked and reached into the salad drawer. She threw a peanut-butter cookie straight into her mouth and scarfed it in record time. _'Hah. Lynn Loud. World's fastest cookie eater… person... thing. Coffee. That's what I need before anything else. Coffee.'_ She went to set up the coffee maker. After it brewed, she walked back into the dining room, fresh cup in hand, only to find Lucy sitting with her legs hanging off the table, quietly nibbling on her cookie. "Ugh! Gross! Get your butt off the table!"

Lucy stared at her. "Does it really matter?"

"You don't eat there."

"Neither do you." She pointed behind her with her free left hand. "You sit over there. Luan sits here."

Lynn blew on her coffee before taking a swig. The caffeine did a good job of jogging her memory. _'Yeah. Actually, she does.'_ She smiled. "Wonder what she'd have to say about that."

"Haven't a clue."

Lynn thought for a moment as she drank. "Well, I got nothing." She leaned back against the table. "Maybe one of your ghost friends could come up with something."

"They're not exactly interested in jokes."

Lynn laughed as she felt the coffee start to work its magic. "I thought they'd be, like, super good at it. There's not much else they can do, since they're, you know, dead. I mean, being dead's gotta be pretty boring."

"We talk about many things."

"About what? Hold on, let me try," She placed her fingers up to her temple and closed her eyes. "I sense that it's something to do with death and pain and the crushing pointlessness of life." She smiled. "Am I close?"

Lucy just sat there, eating, until she said, "You're talkative this morning."

"Uh-huh. Thought so. It's not like there's much else you talk about."

"We talk about things besides that."

"Heh, since when?" She shot Lucy a sly glance. "Lucy, we've been in the same room for six flipping years. I know you too well."

"Not that well, apparently."

Lynn snorted. "Come on Luce, how many people own a god-dang coffin? Even better, how many own more than one? And I really doubt you or your Mortuary Club friends can even not talk about things that are freaky and weird. The most normal thing you guys like are probably the undead blood-sucking hotties, and that's still weird."

Lucy started squeezing her remaining cookie tighter in between her fingers. "My friends aren't weird."

"If you say so, Lucy. If you say so." Lynn leaned back onto the table next to Lucy and took a long drink, reaching the bottom dregs. When she lowered her cup there was a dreamy, slightly dazed smile on her face as she said, "But take it from me, we normal folks get kinda sick of being depressed all day, every day."

"Lynn, stop." Lucy said as harshly as she could.

Lynn's smile disappeared, and she gave Lucy a slightly concerned look. "Are you okay, Luce?"

Lucy gritted her teeth, but didn't move. "I'm fine."

"By fine, you mean fine in your own way, right?" Lynn said with a hopeful smile. "Fine in a freaky way?"

"Lynn, please stop talking to me." Lucy said with the slightest shake in her voice. "I don't want to talk to you right now, and you've said far too much already."

"What'd I say?"

Lucy looked over at her for a moment, and then spoke. "You… You just called me a freak."

"C'mon Luce, I'm just pulling your chain." She chuckled. "Can't you tell? It's a joke, a thing that we humans like to do to each other to make each other laugh." She shook her head, still smiling. "I thought you'd know that since you've got the same name as…"

"Shut up!"

Lynn looked at her with her eyebrow raised. _'She hasn't acted like this since that time she kicked me out of our room.'_ Lynn put her cup down on the blue tablecloth as she rolled her eyes. "Jeez Lucy, I'm just playing." She turned to face Lucy. "You know that, right? I mean, you're acting as if this is the end of the world, or something." Lynn's finger shot up in realization, "Oh yeah, I forgot. Everything's the end of the world for you. Eh? Right?" She said with a nudge.

Lucy shook her head. "You don't get it. You never get it. No matter how hard I try."

 _'Oh brother, here we go again. Get the whiny music ready.'_ Lynn resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and instead tried to play it softer. She put her hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Come on Lucy, don't be like this."

The physical contact was enough to get Lucy to move. She just turned her head, looked directly at Lynn, and said two words. "Leave. Now."

 _'Some people you just can't reach.'_ Lynn shrugged, and she went back into the kitchen with her now empty cup in hand. _'Oh well. Not gonna let her problems ruin my day.'_

Lucy simply sat there, a glum expression on her face. She remembered that she still had a bit of her cookie left. She popped it into her mouth, but it didn't taste nearly as good anymore. Gracefully, she stepped onto one of the chairs, and then onto the floor. She knew that Lynn would be confused by her sudden disappearance, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She silently walked back upstairs to her room, went to stand by the window. She took a few minutes to watch the sky grow lighter over the back yard as sunrise crept ever closer. The low blues and yellows were turning into golds and pinks against the copious cloud cover, while birds chirped and the sound of the earliest morning traffic filled the air. Lucy mused,

"Day

Stirring in the sky

Are colors and light

To battle with the dark

of sacred night."

"If you say so." Lynn said behind her with a grin. _'See. How do you like it?'_ She held her fist up. "Two for flinching!"

Lucy didn't move, or react at all; she refused to even turn around. Lynn shook her head, tied her hair back, and turned to go for her morning run. Lynn made her way out, deliberately slamming the door loudly behind her, before quickly re-opening it to see if Lucy had moved. "Dang it. Struck out twice." Said Lynn when she saw Lucy still motionless. _'Someday Lucy. I'll get you someday.'_ She thought as she closed the door.

Once Lynn was comfortably out of sight, Lucy grabbed her poetry book and made her way to the vent. She clambered in and crawled to her favorite hiding spot. She'd dug out a dust-free dead end for herself, which was lit with a softly glowing lantern. She'd wanted to use candles, but she'd recently taken to decorating, and she figured it wouldn't be the best idea to put fire next to posters and photo film in a tightly confined space, since it could predictably lead to death of both the slow and agonizingly painful variety. The decorations were varied, mostly being illustrations, photos of ghost sightings, with an 11x13 _Edward Scissorhands_ poster in one corner. The biggest single picture was on the opposite wall, a purple-tinted painting showing a city-sized gothic building on the edge of a waterfall that she found on the internet. On the floor of the vents were several books, including a rhyming dictionary, which laid next to her collection of framed pictures, mostly of her family, and a library book called _The Rhythm of Words_ , which lay still open in front of her crystal ball. She sat down on the faded burgundy cushion that was leaning slightly against the far wall, opened her poetry book, took out a black fountain pen, and wrote down,

 _How?_

She thought for a second, and then looked over at the picture of the family to the right of her picture of Great-Grandma Harriet. She zeroed in on Lynn, but the carefree, self-satisfied smile on her face only made her look away. She scratched the word out and instead began,

 _Why?_

 _Why am I surprised?_

 _You've been like this so long_

 _You smile when you mock me_

 _Because to you nothing's wrong_

She paused, consulted her rhyming dictionary, and then continued.

 _I don't know what you think_

 _When you called me a freak_

 _You probably don't mean it_

 _You don't know what you speak_

Again she paused. She sighed again and looked over at the poster for _Edward Scissorhands_. She ran through the plot in her mind as she looked right into the sad, pitiable eyes of the title character of one of her favorite movies. She spent several minutes lost in thought before she continued,

 _But that doesn't matter_

 _Because now I can see_

 _Although you're my sister_

 _You're just another bully_

Lucy sat there, thinking and staring at her matte painting, until a specific idea crossed her mind. She closed her poetry book and reached over to her crystal ball, which sat by the dead-end wall of the vent. She pulled the cold, glassy orb closer and crossed her legs, and put her hands together. She inhaled deeply and said. "Oh spirits, forgive this impromptu summoning. But I must ask of thee, what does the future hold? What can you tell me of my sibling that causes me pain? Will things ever change? I must know."

Nothing.

"Guys? Hello!"

Still nothing.

She repeated her call thrice more, slightly changing the wording and tone each time, as a request, a command, and finally as a suggestion. After the third time, she finally heard a voice that was not her own. It was a faint, mysterious, magical voice that came from someplace far, far away.

"Hey there Mr. Sun! Isn't it, like, so pretty this morning?"

"Sigh. Sorry guys, I'll ask again later." She closed her books and made her way back to her room. She made sure to kick off all the dust on her clothes onto Lynn's bed.

* * *

"Okay Mr. Sun! Laters!" Leni said as she turned back to see Lori giving her the look; the same look she gave her every time she greeted the sun. "What?" Leni asked, tilting her head with a smile still on her face.

"Laters." Lori mouthed under her breath while rolling her eyes. It was at that moment that Lori's alarm clock went off, which did nothing to improve her mood. She reached over and smacked the clock off, and then she used the same hand to smack her own forehead. "Great. Just great."

"What?" Leni repeated.

"You don't remember?" Lori said, raising an eyebrow.

Leni shook her head. "Actually, I was, like, having this wonderful dream where…"

"We literally have to make everyone breakfast and get them to their things on our own." Lori got up and stretched. "And we've got to have a meeting to figure out what we're going to do since they that game is today, then we have to go to school, and on top of that I've got to go to work later, because somebody up there," She pointed to the ceiling, "hates me."

Leni cocked her head to the side. "Who's in the attic?"

Lori glared at her, but wound up just rolling her eyes again. "Just go downstairs and get started on breakfast while I…"

"Okay Lori. I get it."

Lori just shook her head and yawned. "Well, that's a relief." She had just taken her phone off the charger when its alarm went off too. Lori snarled for the second time in as many minutes and started digging around under her bed.

Leni looked over at her wardrobe, sighed and went to put on her favorite sea-foam colored flip-flops. She savored the feeling of the fabric under her toes for a moment before she left the room. She had just closed the door when Lucy stepped out of her own room. Leni waved, "Morning, Lucy! Want to help me with breakfast?"

"I need to think. Please make my eggs extra well done." Lucy said briskly before walking downstairs.

"Oh, I never knew that." Leni put a finger to her mouth. "I don't know Luna's, or Luan's, or Lana's, or Linc...I know!" She brought the finger up in realization and made her way over to Lincoln's room. She passed by Lynn and Lucy's room, and she failed to notice that Lynn was absent. She stepped up to the door to Lincoln's converted closet and gently placed three fingers on the doorknob as if it would break like glass. She gently nudged the door open, and she couldn't help but laugh at what she saw.

Lincoln had fallen asleep with his pajama-clad bum shoved high into the air as he clutched Bun-Bun in his left arm. She walked over, and hesitantly poked his thigh. "Linky? Hey, Linky? Wakey-wakey Linky." But he did nothing. She looked around and her eyes almost immediately found the poster for the upcoming Ace Savvy movie that hung reverently over his bed. "Lincoln! Look!" She pointed up to the poster in as dramatic a way as she could. "It's – Ace Savvy!"

It worked. He bolted up into a sitting position, sending his Bun-Bun directly into Leni's arms. "What? Where? Where is he?"

Leni pointed again at his poster. "He's right there Linky!" He stared up at the poster, then looked back at her, then back at the poster, and finally back at her again. She was cradling the Bun-Bun like a baby and was scratching behind the stuffed rabbit's ears.

He shook his head and laughed. "Well, you're not wrong, kinda."

Leni looked up at him. "Could you help me make breakfast, Linky?"

Lincoln looked at her, then remembered what his parents had said the previous night. "Right, yeah."

She gently handed Bun-Bun back to Lincoln. "And Lori said we've got, like, a meeting."

Lincoln groaned and took back Bun-Bun. "Alright, let me just get my socks on." He stood up and placed Bun-Bun on the bed.

"Okay, I'll get started. Good morning, Linky!" She walked out and closed the door behind her. On her way to the stairs she saw that Lynn and Lucy's door was open, and Lynn was nowhere to be found.

"Huh. Weird." She looked around, "Lynn!" No response. "Lynn! Did Lisa turn you invisible again?" Again, no response. Leni shrugged. "Okay Lynn, I'm gonna go make breakfast!"

She went downstairs just as Lori emerged from her bedroom with her favorite wake-up alarm, a small pot and ladle, which she carried with her into Luna and Luan's room. Leni was smart enough to know what was coming, and quickly walked downstairs to avoid the oncoming ruckus. As she reached the last step, she saw Lucy sitting in the family armchair, nose deep in one of her poetry books. "Hey, Lucy, is Lynn okay?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

Leni cocked her head to the side. "Are you two, like, fighting again?"

Lucy looked up from her book and said, after a brief pause, "Not yet."

Leni looked to the kitchen. "Look, let's deal with this later, 'kay? I got to start breakfast now or I'm totes in trouble."

Lucy looked back to her book. "I like my eggs…"

"Totes done!" Leni finished with a smile. Lucy nodded in acknowledgement, and dove back into her book, intent on completely losing herself in verse. Leni, meanwhile, entered the kitchen humming her favorite song. As she preheated the stove, she though out loud, "Some music would be nice." She looked around but couldn't find what she was looking for. She did find a pan, which she put by the burner.

She was still looking when Lincoln, dressed in his pajamas, came in. "Oh, thanks Leni." He said as he noticed the prepped stove.

"Hey, Linky, where's that music-thingy?"

Lincoln yawned and ran a hand through his hair. "Under the sink, junk drawer, corner cabinet next to the oven, try there."

As Lincoln set about timing all the eggs, Leni checked the junk drawer before going and shoving her head under the sink. "Linky! Linky, it's not here!" She said before pulling her head out and opening the lower corner cabinet. "Oh, never mind. Found it. It's behind the popcorn maker with the box of candies. What are these, anyway? It's red and white."

"Probably some of that hot cinnamon stuff that Lynn likes."

"Ew! Totes gross." She pulled out the popcorn maker and reached towards the small, boxy AM/FM radio that was the most obnoxious shade of yellow imaginable. She smiled, placed it in front of the microwave, plugged it in, and turned it on, only to get nothing but static. "Aw. It doesn't work."

"Did you extend the antenna?"

"The what?"

"Did you pull out the long metal thingy?"

Leni shook her head, even though Lincoln was facing away from her, setting Lori's hard-boiled egg. She extended the antenna and after a second, it fizzled to life. Leni turned the knob until she found the channel. "…88.5 FM, Royal Woods Retro, going for a one-hour commercial free music marathon, with _Running in the Night_."

"Hey, could you get the bacon?"

Leni opened the fridge as she bobbed her head to the music. She found the bacon and turned back just in time to see the rest of the tired family shuffle in.

The twins entered first. Lola looked rather put out at coming down without getting properly dressed, and Lana held Izzy, who laid content in her arm as she stroked his back. The two took their seats at the kiddie table, and Lana laid Izzy onto it, who growled contently as he sprawled out onto the wood.

Luna and Luan entered next, both of whom walked to the other end of the room while looking like they'd rather be dead.

Lucy, who would rather be dead, followed and went to the far corner next to the refrigerator to Leni's right.

Lisa and Lori, the latter was holding Lily in one arm and a kitten-heeled shoe in the other hand, were the last to enter. Lisa went to stand in front of the fridge on Leni's left while Lori placed Lily at the kiddie table, pointed at the radio, and sliced her finger across her throat. Luan, who was closest, shut it off.

"Aw, I just got that working." Leni said. She pouted and clutched the bacon package close to her chest.

"This is important." Lori took her shoe, and banged it on the kiddie table. "I now call this sibling meeting to order and blah blah whatever. We all know why we're here."

"Before we begin I believe I should mention," Said Lisa, her lisp even more accented thanks to early morning grogginess, "I perhaps got a bit too enthusiastic with my number crunching last night, thus I am currently functioning on four hours sleep. Please don't expect me to contribute too much to this conversation."

"Yeah dude, it's way too early to get into anything major." Rasped Luna just before yawning loudly and leaning against the sink. She looked to her right and saw a pot of coffee sitting next to the coffee maker, cooling down. "Right on!" She got her mug poured herself a cup. "Anybody want a hit?"

Lisa held up her hand. "None for me. Even if I could process caffeine as an adult, I simply cannot stand the taste." She said as she took off her glasses to check for a piece of dirt.

Luan held her cup out to Luna. "Oh well, there's pour for me." Luan said with a giggle and a tired smile. "Get…" She interrupted herself with a yawn. "Sorry." Luna just nodded and gave her what was left.

"I don't have anything to say either." Lucy said.

Lori glared at her. "Oh really? What's your excuse?"

"I don't want to." Before Lori could shoot back, Lucy sat back against the fridge, reopened her book, and stuck her nose in it.

"I can't talk much either," Lincoln chimed in. "Hey Leni, you got the bacon yet?" Leni nodded, and turned to open the fridge before realizing that package was still in her hand. She dropped it by the stove and returned to her spot. "Thanks, Leni."

Lori threw her hands up and leaned back onto doorframe. "Great! Brilliant! Just what I need! A meeting where most of us don't feel like talking about anything."

"Sounds fine to me." Lana said before returning her full attention to Izzy, who was curling into a sleeping green mound. "Even Izzy doesn't want to be up."

Leni raised her hand, "Um, excuse me!"

And then it was Lola's turn to chime in. "Leni, the way things are, just forget the hand and talk."

Lori gritted her teeth. "Thank you for that, Lola. What would I possibly do without you?"

"I don't know," She flipped her morning hair back and smirked, "but you're welcome."

"Uh, hi!" Leni said while waving her still-raised hand, drawing attention back to herself. "I hate to ask, but, what are we talking about?"

"Well," Lori began, "I was going to try and get us to try and figure out what to do with Lynn."

"Oh, yeah!" Leni exclaimed and turned to Lisa, "Lisa, you need to get Lynn visible again or she'll be in big trouble!"

Everybody just stared. "Was there an accident involving my Spectral Refraction Net that I haven't been made aware of?" Lisa asked. Everybody shook their heads. "Then why, pray tell, would Lynn Jr. be invisible?"

"Don't know." Luan said. "Wouldn't know if it stood in front of me." She chuckled to herself before taking a quiet sip of coffee.

"Lynn went out on her run about twenty minutes before you guys got up." Lucy said, not looking up from her book.

"Thank you for actually contributing something useful, Lucy." Lori said. She looked at the clock. "If she left then and it usually takes her a half-an-hour, we've got less than ten minutes to figure out what to do about it and why is your hand still up?"

Leni blushed and slid her hand down behind her back. "But I'm still not sure what's…" Leni began.

"Lynn's softball finals, Leni!" Lincoln said from over by the stove.

Lola clamped her hands over her ears. "Ugh. Don't say those words around me!"

"Yeah. Same. Yuck." Said Lana.

Lori snorted. "Well, it's nice to see that you two agree on something. For once."

"They're not alone." Lisa said while scratching an itch on her scalp. "For last week Lynn has made exactly 118 acknowledgements to that sport in my presence, an average of 16 times a day rounded down significantly."

"She's been extremely restless about it since it got delayed." Lucy said, again without looking up. "It got worse when she found out mom and dad couldn't come."

Lori nodded. "So, it's safe to say that everybody here is literally sick of hearing about that. I've got work later, so I can't be there anyways, and she still won't stop asking me if I can show up."

"Same here." Luan said.

Lori nodded. "So, unless you all want to spend the rest of the day once you're out of school watching Lynn fart around for nine innings, you all'd better come up with some really good excuses to keep yourselves busy until the game starts."

Luna leaned against the sink as she finished her cup. "Dude, we know the drill. I think we all wanna stay out of the line of fire, especially after last year."

Lincoln was removing Lori's hard-boiled egg when Luna said that, and he flinched so hard that the egg fell off the spoon and broke on the floor. "Dang it, sorry Lori." Lincoln said quickly, looking to her eyes for forgiveness.

Lori groaned and rubbed the side of her face with her palm, "Just don't do it again."

There was long silence punctuated only by the sound of sizzling bacon as everyone ran through their own versions of one of the more infamous days in that family's history. Leni was the first to speak, and her voice cracked as she squeaked out, "I'm so sorry, Linky."

Lincoln shook his head. "You already apologized, Leni. More than once."

"Yeah, b-but…" Leni's eyes began to water.

Luna set her cup down and went over to hug her. "Come on dude, I think we all feel like jerks over that."

"I don't know what got into me." Lana said while looking at Lincoln with ashamed eyes.

"I do." Lucy said. Nobody else noticed, but Lisa's eyes went directly to Lucy, and she stared at her with a subtle, but shocked expression on her face. Lucy put her book down and stood up to look at Lincoln. "You know how persuasive she can be when she wants to be. She can raise the dead when she gets angry." She looked at Lori. "Literally."

Lisa sighed in relief without anyone else noticing.

"Besides, you weren't really helping yourself by pretending to be bad luck anyway, Lincoln." Lola said with gritted teeth.

Lori signaled Lola to zip it. "I think that literally everyone is ashamed of that time."

Leni nodded quickly. "Yeah but you could have gotten sick." Her eyes got wider as she spoke. "Or somebody could've…"

Lincoln stepped away from the stove and went right over to her. "Leni, you don't need to apologize for what didn't happen." He smiled. "Besides, it all worked out in the end. Didn't it?"

"Yeah, after wearing that stupid thing for days." Commented Lana.

Lincoln shuddered. "Don't remind me. I know how boiled potatoes feel because of that thing." He stated as his left hand instinctively went into his pajama pocket, rubbing something deep inside.

Lisa looked back over and decided to rejoin the conversation, to help get her mind off things. "You did reject my offer to put a fan in, so you have no excuse."

Lincoln looked over at her. "I didn't plan on staying, but thanks anyway."

Lisa nodded. "I only hope I did enough as payment for my part in that..." She thought for a second as she ran through all the words she could use, "incident."

Luan smiled, "Lisa, if it weren't for you we couldn't have given that thing the sendoff it deserved."

Everybody smiled, including Leni, but no one smiled brighter than Lincoln. "You have no idea how satisfying that was." He said with a dreamy look on his face.

"Yeah." Lori said. She turned to look at Lisa. "Where did you get that bazooka from anyway?"

Lisa smiled knowingly. "I have my methods. And it wasn't a bazooka. It was a LAW rocket. There's a difference."

Lucy said, "I liked how the flames consumed it until it was nothing more than ash. It was one of the most soothing things I've ever seen."

Lana smiled. "Yeah. Then we had those hotdogs. They were so good."

"Yeah, it was a blast." Luan said with a weary chuckle.

Lola looked over at Lisa. "Could you maybe…"

"No Lola. One shot per customer."

"Aw," Lola pouted.

Lincoln walked over and patted Lola on her shoulder. "I've still got the thing if you ever want to borrow it."

Lola shook her head. "It's no fun if it doesn't shoot."

Luna said, standing up with Leni in her arm. "Hey Lori, you still got the vid on your phone?"

Lori shook her head as she went through her photos. "No, but I got the pics."

She showed everyone a picture of the entire family, save Lynn and their parents, in the backyard, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over what was left of the once lucky squirrel costume. Lori was about to put her phone away when she caught sight of the next picture, which made her snort with laughter. She showed everyone else a picture of Lincoln trying his best to look cool with the spent rocket launcher tube on his shoulder and a hotdog hanging from his teeth like a cigar.

"Most metal thing you've ever done, bro." Luna said with a sharp grin. "I love it."

Lola smiled wide. "And I just loved all those flames."

Lincoln laughed. "We should get those framed. That almost made the whole thing worth it."

Everybody smiled except Leni, who looked right at him. "If that ever happens again, it'll be, like, a bazillion years too soon."

"And it won't." Lincoln said as he went back to set up his second attempt at making Lori's egg. "Because we are all going to make sure Lynn has the best day she can."

"How?" Everybody asked at once.

"It's easy." He went over to the fridge and opened it. "We chill out." He winked at Luan, who smiled back over her cup, "We keep Lynn in the best mood we can." He pointed at Leni and then to the cabinet behind her. Leni nodded and turned to get plates. "And above all else, we make sure that we can get her to her to school without any hiccups. She doesn't like screwing around when a game's on the line, let alone a season. So, we get her to her to school, and we're all clear. Lynn's gone until after her post-game victory party."

"Agreed." Said Lori. "So, we've all got plans to keep busy after school, right?"

"I got rehearsal _._ " Luan said over her cup.

"I'm gonna go to the mall." Answered Lola.

"I got to go to Burpin' Burger." Said Lincoln. "I promised I'd help Liam and Rusty study some things, but I'll be home before the game starts. I can walk."

"Okay. Anybody else?" Lori asked as she leaned back against the doorframe.

"I'd like to visit R.I. Pete's. I'll go with Lincoln, it's not far." Said Lucy.

Lori nodded and said, "Right, I work the late-shift, so I can pick you up, we can drop Luan off by the theater. We go to the mall, then we'll come home." Lori turned to glare the rest. "And no fighting at all, right?"

There was a chorus of "Yeah," as well as an "Agreed" from Lucy, a "Sure dude." from Luna, and an "Affirmative" from Lisa.

Lisa stepped out into the center of the room. "I'd recommend that we rotate our breakfasts and bathroom time. That should give everyone a chance to prepare to their satisfaction and eat before you all need to depart."

"I'm going first!" Lola belted out.

Lisa turned to Lola, "Don't take too long."

Lola just smiled devilishly. "Or what?"

Lisa began to speak, but it was Lucy that answered. "Or I'll dye your clothes black and let my bats nest in your bed while you sleep." She smiled, "They do drink blood."

Lola's eyes went wide, "Be right back." She was out of the kitchen as fast as her high-heels could carry her.

Lori snorted. "Nice job, Lucy."

"Thank you." Lucy said.

"Ingeniously done, my compliments." Lisa said with a nod, "Anyway, I call next. Who goes after?"

Lana shrugged. "I don't need it."

"Me!" Said Luna.

"Then me." Said Lucy.

Lori, then Lincoln and then Leni called dibs after Lucy, while Luan was lost in thought. "What?" She asked when she heard her name called.

"You're going last." Said Lori.

"Shoot." Luan said under her breath.

"Tough luck." Said Luna, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Lincoln tense up. "Crap, sorry bro."

Lincoln smiled. "Great! Operation Keep-Lynn-happy-so-she-can…"

"If you're going to say anything other than 'eat' I'm leaving." Lana said while scooping up Izzy.

Lincoln nodded. "Right, let's eat. But remember, play it cool, and we'll get through today with no problems."

Everybody nodded. "Meeting adjourned." Lori said with a final bang of her blue shoe on the doorframe, only for the heel to snap off and land on the floor with an obnoxious tap. Lori's eye twitched.

"Poo-poo!" Said Lily. Everybody looked over to see her looking at Lincoln expectantly.

"Exactly, Lily." Lori picked up her busted heel. "Let's eat. And somebody pick that up!" Lori pointed at the hard-boiled egg that was still on the floor. She picked up Lily and left followed by Lisa and Lana. Luna finished her coffee and left for the dining room with Lucy.

"Hey, Luan?" Lincoln said over his shoulder as she moved to the sink. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Yeah, Linc?"

Lincoln fetched a plate and deposited Luan's personal funny-side-up eggs onto it alongside the bacon. "You know the theater is five minutes from the field, right?"

Luan shook her head and put her cup in the sink. "I'm not missing this, Linc. Not for you or for Lynn or…"

'I know, I know. Just be careful, okay? I got a bad feeling about this."

"Lincoln, I'll be fine." She said, her mismatched blue-green eyes reflecting his concern.

He walked over and hand-delivered her plate to her. "Just don't get jinxed, alright? Lynn gets really into that bad luck stuff."

She took her plate with a soft smile. "Linc, if she jinx I'm bad luck, I'm coming right to you for help." She laughed and winked her blue right eye at him and held up her plate. "Since you're the eggs-pert. Get it?"

Lincoln groaned. "Welcome back, Luan."

Luan left, and Lincoln was about to take out his second attempt at Lori's second egg when he noticed that Leni was still in the room, looking quietly at the floor. "Hey, Leni, could you get the toast? You can turn the music back on."

Her mind shifted gears, and she smiled again, all depressed thoughts gone. "Okay, I can totes toast the toast!"

She flicked the radio back on just as a very damp Lola rushed through the kitchen door. "Was I fast enough? Please tell me I made it!"

* * *

 _'And stop.'_ Lynn jumped forward, landing right in front of the path to the house. She checked her watch. _'30 minutes, six laps. Perfect, as always.'_ She smiled and walked to the front door. ' _Right, so I'll break out my lucky jock, then take a quick shower, have some chow and..."_ She had just opened the door and set a sneaker across the threshold when…

 _'Hold on. Something's not right here.'_ Lynn saw Leni serving Lori, Lily and the twins breakfast, and she saw Luan reading a pocket joke book, her plate mostly empty. Lisa was just settling into her seat, reading a manual on theoretical physics. _'I guess everybody else is... Wait, that's it.'_ She listened, and she heard music from the kitchen. _'That, yeah. I can hear it perfectly. No twins arguing, no crying Lily, no nothing. Everything's too quiet.'_ She stepped inside and intentionally slammed the door shut, drawing the attention from everybody in the dining room, including Charles and Cliff, who were both eating by the kitchen doorway. She heard the music in the kitchen switch off abruptly.

"Hey sis!" Said Leni with a smile and a wave.

"What's up Lynner?" Luan said with another smile.

"Morning, Lynn." Lori gave her a massive grin as well.

"Hello." Said Lisa, with a massive smile-like thing that was obviously emotionless.

Lynn was only more confused. _'Why are they smiling? They look like they want to eat me or something.'_ Lynn cleared her throat, "Alright, what's going on?" The atmosphere suddenly shifted, as if Lynn had come in juggling hand grenades. Luan just kept smiling before handing her plate to Leni and moving to exit the room, but that meant getting past Lynn, who wasn't having any of it. She stuck her arm out in front of Luan, and said, "I asked, what's up?"

"Oh, I know! We're eating breakfast." Leni said cheerfully.

 _'Great job on that one, Leni.'_ Lynn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, duh. But what's going on with the being quiet and the all of you looking like a bunch of serial killers?"

"Well, since we're talking about cereal…" Luan started, but she stopped herself.

At that Lincoln strode in as confidently as he could, smiling brightly. "It's a big day today, sis."

Lynn's mouth fell open. _'Oh my god. They remembered! I can't believe they remembered!'_ She bolted towards Lincoln and threw her arms around him, nearly crushing him in the process. "I thought you'd forgot!" Everybody in the room had to actively try not to burst into laughter. They'd been reminded enough to the point that some of them were dreaming about baseball themselves. Luan took the opportunity to sneak behind the distracted Lynn and run upstairs, not noticing she'd left her joke book on the table. Cliff followed suit by rushing into the kitchen, leaving Charles to nervously wag his tail as he watched the scene unfold.

"Lynn! Can't breathe!" Lincoln sputtered from inside her grip.

"Just one more thing." She said with a grin. She quickly shifted position until she had his head under her arm, where she then started giving him the fiercest noogie she could.

"Hey! Lynn!" He shouted in between heavy breaths.

"You want me to stop, you'd better make me!" She laughed. "Or you could just say…"

"Uncle! Uncle!" He said loudly.

She let him go, and he stumbled back. _'I swear, he could lose an wrestling match to a worm with cancer.'_ She held up her fist, which made him recoil slightly. She smiled even wider, "Two for flinchin'." She punched him twice on his shoulder. He moaned as he rubbed his arm. "Wimp."

Lincoln put his game-face back on. "This kind of day doesn't happen all that often, so we all decided to try and made it as great as we could."

Lynn smiled. "Aw. You're adorable."

"Some of us more than others!" Lola shouted from the kitchen doorway.

Lynn looked at each of them for a second and then asked. "Hey, anyone wanna come to my game after school?" There was nothing but complete silence. Everyone in the room was trying to come up with their own excuses.

Lori was first. "Sorry Lynn, but I gotta work."

Lincoln copied her grin. "I've got a study group."

"I'm working on a project after school." Lisa said nonchalantly.

Lana smiled. "Yeah, sorry. I can't. Bobbie Fletcher's signing autographs at the Exhausted Piper."

Lynn just kept smiling. "C'mon. She's in 25th place. You can shelve that for your good ol' number one," She said with a wink, "right?"

"Lana said she'd provide assistance in a project of mine." Lisa stated without looking up from her book.

"Did I?" Lana asked dumbly.

Lisa looked over at her. "It is my pet project, after all."

Lana shrugged and gave Lynn a smile. "Sorry."

"And I got pageant practice." Lola effortlessly fibbed.

And then it was Leni's turn. She smiled. "Okay. I haven't got…"

"Leni," Began Lori, "you don't remember."

"What?" Lynn and Leni asked simultaneously.

Lori egged her on. "Remember? That thing you have to do?"

Leni nodded in realization at what Lori meant. She looked back at Lynn and said, "Oh, sorry Lynn, I'd love to but I have to go bread the... bread." Lori, Lana, and Lily all slapped their heads right into their hands while Lisa settled for bonking her forehead with her book. Even Charles looked humiliated.

But Lynn smiled. "Hey, Leni," She said while slowly cracking up. "That sounds like one of dad's recipes. You know, when he decides to get creative?"

Leni nodded and smiled. "Like that sushi pizza on a taco."

Lynn was straight up laughing at that point. "Yeah. Blegh!" She said as she mimed vomiting.

Lincoln, as slyly as he could, took the opportunity to change the topic. "I bet you can't guess what Leni's got in the oven in three chances."

 _'Oh, we're playing this game, are we?'_ She crossed her arms, but she kept smiling. "Really?" Lincoln nodded. Lynn leaned her head down. "Let's see, it's not my Special Super Spicy Sausage Slugger, is it? I was saving that."

"Nope." Lincoln shook his head. "You want a hint?"

 _'Alright. Think, maybe they dropped a hint somewhere. Unless…_ ' Lynn's smile drooped. "It isn't sushi taco pizza, right?"

"Nope." He said with a smile. "You give up?"

 _'Come on Lynn. You can do this. Just think. Wait, in the oven. Like that time with…'_ Lynn's face fell. "You're not pregnant, right?"

Lincoln shook his head again. "Sorry Lynn, incorrect."

 _'Dang it.'_ Lynn scowled and looked at the floor.

Lincoln tried to keep things casual by saying, "It's a new specialty we cooked up just for you, a scrambled egg and bacon sub!"

"Totes spicy!" Leni added.

"How long?" Lynn asked quietly.

"Seven more minutes!" Lola answered.

Lynn nodded. "I gotta go shower."

Lincoln's eyes went wide. "Um, Lynn, could you hold on that for a sec?" He said quickly just before he bolted up the stairs past Cliff and a confused Luan.

"Hey Linc, have you seen my joke book? I think…"

"Luan, is Lucy in the bathroom?"

She nodded. "I wish she'd hurry up. I've…"

"Can't talk, sorry!" He kept running until he reached the bathroom. "Lucy!" He said with as much force as he could without shouting. "Could you please finish up?"

"I'll need two minutes." Lucy droned from behind the door.

"Lucy, Lynn needs to shower now!"

"I said I'll need five minutes."

"Come on Luce. If we keep her happy, things will go smooth, and we can all relax." There was nothing from Lucy. Luan watched for a second, before shrugging and going downstairs.

Lincoln tried to come up with something to say, not noticing the ajar door just to his right, and Luna watching from inside her room. "Lucy, is there a reason you're acting like this?" Lincoln continued. "You've been cold… well, colder than usual all morning." No response. "Is there something you want to tell me? Did something happen? I swear I won't tell anyone." He lowered his voice, "Remember that time with that book?" Still nothing. Now he was getting desperate. "Lucy, if you let Lynn take her shower I'll go with you to all your poetry readings. I'll clean up after your bats if you want. I'll go to the cemetery and dig up a corpse if I have to!"

Still there was nothing. Lincoln sat against the door in defeat, but just as he was thinking of the best way to tell Lynn it was occupied, Lucy finally spoke, "Can I tell you something?"

"What?"

"Not here, after school." Lincoln thought he heard Lucy's voice quake slightly.

"Can we talk when we're home?"

"Why not then?" She asked.

Lincoln tried to think of the best way to phrase his answer. "I have to help Rusty and Liam study for the math test on Monday. But Lucy, I swear, I'll cancel and do whatever you want. Just please, please, please let Lynn take her shower."

At first there was nothing, but then, "Sigh." The lock clicked, and Lucy stepped out. She passed him, but stopped halfway to her room. "Lincoln," she said without turning around, "you are far too selfless."

Lincoln shrugged. "I try."

Lucy smiled for the first time that morning, and turned to go into her room, only to find Lynn on her way in.

"Sister." Lucy said.

"Lucy." Lynn said with as much disinterest as she could muster. "You can go first."

"No, you. I insist. I know you wouldn't like it if I got my freak all over everything."

Lynn just shook her head. "Whatever." She muttered as she went into their room.

"What's going on Lucy?" Lincoln asked as he walked up to stand next to her.

"We'll talk later."

"But…"

"Later." She said as Lynn emerged with her bathrobe in hand.

"Don't touch my lucky jock." Lynn said.

Lincoln smiled to try to relieve the tension. "It's all yours, Lynn!"

"Finally!" Lynn marched into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Lincoln put his hands on his hips, "There. Crisis averted, for now." He said before he went downstairs.

Lucy just stood there and shook her head, before going back into her room. On Lynn's bed she saw her infamous lucky jockstrap lying by the rest of her clothes. Lucy couldn't help herself, she poked the thing once, much to her disgust, but in her mind it was worth it as a small act of retribution.

Once Lincoln reached the bottom of the stairs, he closed his eyes to help him savor the morning's relative peace, before he quickly shouted to the kitchen, "Leni!"

"Yeah Linky?" She shouted from the kitchen.

"Could you make me a breakfast burrito or something?" He said as he collapsed onto the couch.

"Got it!" She yelled back.

Lincoln decided to simply lay there for an indeterminate time until he felt someone sit down. "Hey, dude."

"Hey, Luna." He said without opening his eyes.

"What ya thinkin' about?" She leaned back and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table.

He looked at her. "I'm thinking about what mom and dad would do if they saw you doing that."

She laughed, flashing her pronounced canines as she did. "Well, I'm not gonna tell them."

Lincoln smiled back at her. "You're secret's safe with me."

There was a pause when Lynn came downstairs; she was as subtle about it as she ever was. "Sub! I need my sub ASAP! As in now!" She yelled as she took the stairs two at a time.

"Hey luv!" Luna said as she affected her British accent.

Lynn nodded and said, "Hi." But she was more interested in finding her breakfast as she went into the dining room. There was the sound of a plate hitting the table and Lori rushed past her on her way out of the dining room.

"My turn in the bathroom!" She shouted as she rushed upstairs.

"Well, she waited long enough." Luna said as Leni dropped off his breakfast burrito and went back to the kitchen.

He sat up and was about to eat when Luna said, "You know that Leni makes those totes spicy, right?"

Lincoln looked down at his breakfast suspiciously. "I guess I can't help it if it is." He said just before moving it towards his open mouth.

But before he did, Luna asked, "So what's up with Lucy?" He sat there, staring at her dumbly with his breakfast halfway to his mouth. "You were talking right next to my room, dude."

"Oh, right." Lincoln put his breakfast down and sat back. "I haven't got a clue."

"Want me to try to talk to her?"

Lincoln shook his head. "Let me try first. I think she just needs somebody to talk about things with, you know?"

"Man, she's always been that way. It's just the way she is."

"I don't know. Maybe it's all the goth stuff, but she just seems so, distant and..."

" _Hello darkness my old friend…_ " She quietly sang.

"Yeah, that. I'm gonna talk to her later and try to figure things out."

Luna jerked her head towards him. "Dude, you sure about that? I mean, what about our schedule?" She nodded her head towards the dining room, where the loud wet chomping sounds of Lynn eating her special breakfast could be heard. "Mom and dad are gonna go ape if you're not back on time."

"Well, just get some bananas. I won't be out too late anyways."

"Keep in touch, will you? Just in case I need to cover for you."

Lincoln nodded. "I don't plan on letting Lucy rain on Lynn's parade, but I'd kinda prefer if she didn't rain on mine either."

"You know what they say dude, _it can't rain all the time._ " Luna lifted her head back thoughtfully. "Actually, I don't know if Lucy's seen that movie."

'Which one?"

 _"The Crow_." She said as she checked the black polish on her nails.

Lincoln shrugged and opened his mouth to speak, but a certain little pink tyrant had other ideas. "Lincoln! I need you to check my makeup! Now!" Lola roared from the top of the stairs.

"Sorry. We'll talk later." Lincoln said as he dropped his uneaten breakfast onto the plate.

She brought two fingers to her temple and saluted him with a wave of her hand. "Will do lil' dude."

Lincoln stood up, and walked up the stairs, once he reached the top, he turned to go towards the Lola's room until he felt a tap on his shoulder. Lincoln jumped up and spun around to come face-to-face with Lucy. "Jeez Lucy! How did you even…"

"I move in the space between spaces." She said as dryly as ever. Before Lincoln could speak, she said, "Do what you need to."

"Sorry, what?" Lincoln asked.

"With Liam. Do what you need to. I'll be in touch later." Lincoln nodded. She returned a single nod, and after a momentary pause she said, "I never thanked you."

Lincoln shrugged. "Hey, you don't need to. I'm always here to…"

"Thank you, Lincoln." And with that, she turned and walked downstairs, making sure to purposefully pass Lynn without a word as she came up the stairs, not that Lynn noticed.

She went for her room. _'Right, need to get my stuff in order, then pray for good luck.'_ She slammed the door shut and went for under her bed, where she kept her lucky glove and ball. She loaded them into her sports bag, along with her uniform, bat, and spare balls. She smiled. _'I've got more balls than anyone in this house.'_ She laughed as she got down on her knees.

She reached under her mattress as she said. "Right, so let's get this done." From under the mattress she pulled out a dark blue cap with a red letter B on it, which she laid out in front of her.

She clasped her hands. "Oh dear softball gods, please bless my game today so I won't mess up in front of everyone. May the Saints of Fenway and Wrigley smile down on this game so the other team deliver nothing but cookies for nine innings. Let us be Red Sox, not Orioles. Please let the winds of luck blow ever my way. May the stink of defeat come nowhere near me even though the wind is coming my way… Never mind, bad metaphor." She sighed and looked up. "Just, please let this work out, okay? I'll play a good game, but I can't do it without you." She took a deep breath. "Please?" No response, not that she ever got any.

 _'Thanks anyway.'_ Lynn thought after a few minutes as she shoved her lucky cap back under her mattress and shouldered her bag. She pulled the door open only to see Lincoln coming from the bathroom, towel around his waist.

Lynn grinned and grabbed his bare shoulder. "Hey bro," Lincoln flinched away, but he did smile in return, despite the shock in his eyes. "You still got our mascot costume around?" She asked as she rubbed his skin.

"No." Lincoln said reflexively, "Long gone, sorry. I can't come anyways. Study group. Test on Monday."

"That sucks. We could use some good luck." She smiled, slapped his cheek and went downstairs without another word, passing Leni along the way.

Lincoln stood there for a moment he walked towards his room, closing the door. "It's never easy being in a family this large, where everybody's got their own way of treating people, and you always need to be ready to listen to what kind of drama's brewing, and to cut it off before it gets too bad. It helps to always know what to say to keep someone happy, because a family is like an engine. Keep everyone happy, and everything runs smoothly." He smiled as he pulled his shirt on. "And as far as I'm concerned, if Lynn is as happy as she can be, everyone's out of any potential rough spots. And I'm a part of everyone." He picked up his backpack from the corner. "And Lucy, well, she's always been willing to talk with me more than anybody else, especially since I bailed her out for that _Princess Pony_ book. And as for Lynn..."

He paused, and laid down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. " Well, I'm honestly not sure what to do with her beyond that. I guess I need to explain how Lucy feels to her but that's never easy. She's hard to deal with. She's always been hard to…" Again he paused, and he looked over to see his Bun-Bun staring back at him. He laid there for some time, and no matter how much he stared at it, he couldn't quite put what he felt into words.

After some time he heard Lori call from downstairs. He got up, got his backpack, and opened the door to leave, but just as he did, he remembered something. "My key!" He turned to scan his room, "Where'd I leave it?" It took him several seconds to realize he'd left it in his pajamas. So, after some digging around in his laundry, he found it and pocketed it.

"Lincoln Loud! Luan Loud! Downstairs now!" Lori yelled.

He rushed downstairs to where Lori was, standing by the door, eyes on her phone. He looked over at the table, where his now stone-cold burrito lay. "Now all I need to do is survive this ride with Lynn until I get dropped off." He said as he got his breakfast.

"Lincoln! Stop talking to your audience and get over here, unless you feel like walking!" Lori barked.

Lincoln sighed and left out the front door, only for Luan to come barreling up behind him with a flurry of apologies, bookbag in hand. Lincoln quietly accepted he wasn't going to get the sweet spot as he went to the van. He pulled the door open, a second away from indulging in his breakfast, when he saw who was sitting at the end of the row with the only empty seats.

Lynn had a wicked grin on her face and an all too familiar glint in her eyes. "Lincoln…" She dragged his name out over several seconds as she pressed her fist into her palm. "Let's play auto attack."

Lincoln froze, but Luan swept in to save the day. "Hey Lynn, you know everything about baseball, right?" She said as she pushed past Lincoln, taking the seat directly next to Lynn.

Lynn looked at her confusedly. "Yeah."

Luan grinned as Lincoln sat next to her, "Well then, I've got to ask you something. Why is a baseball stadium the coolest place to be?"

Lynn shook her head. "Because cool people play baseball. Duh!"

"Really? I thought it had something to do with all those fans." She laughed, almost doubling over. "Get it?"

"Sick, dude." Luna said.

"I've heard better from dead people." Lucy declared.

"I don't get it." Leni said form the shotgun seat.

"Lucky you." Lana said from the back.

Lola groaned. "How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"Just now, but I'm always game." Luan started laughing again as she adjusted the flower on her shirt. "Get it?"

Lynn groaned. "That the best you got?"

"Alright guys, calm down." Said Lori.

"Okay, okay." Luan said with a wink at Lincoln. "I'll behave."

Lincoln smiled at her in gratitude as Lori pulled out. Leni went for the radio. "Who wants to play the radio game?" Everybody said yes, so Leni switched on the radio and began station surfing.

After a minute Luna said, "Hold on, go back." Leni did so, and a smile came over Luna's face. She snapped her fingers and said, "Shinedown! Play it baby!"

"Luna wins!" Leni chirped.

"As usual." Said Lola.

"Can't be helped brah!" Luna said as she started belting out the lyrics.

"Hey, turn the radio off, think she'll notice?" Lynn asked.

"Nope." Replied Luan.

Lincoln looked over past Luan, and he could see Lynn looking out the window, bobbing her lightly to the drumbeat. Lincoln sighed in relief and looked down at his stone-cold burrito. "Oh, please don't be totes spicy." Cautiously, he took his first bite as if he was daring himself. "Huh. Actually, that's not bad."

* * *

 **Chapter one is mostly set-up, I admit it. It's the thing with long-form narratives. On the other hand, that means it's rather light, for the most** **part.**

 **To preempt any comments, this story will follow up on _No Such Luck_. I know it's well-trodden ground, and some people might be sick of it. But if I ****can't write the first story about the consequences of that episode, then I'll write the definitive one.**

 **That said, i** **t's not going to follow up just that episode alone, any episode with Lynn in it is up for grabs.**

 **Chapter Two & Three will be out in October.**

 **Thanks for Reading!**

 **Listening To: _Panacea_ by _Disasterpeace_.**


	3. Avalanche, Pt 1

**Author's Notes: At long last, here's chapter two.**

 **Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's favorited and left reviews, you really have helped me figure this whole thing out.**

 **But, I won't waste time. T** **he deconstruction starts here.**

 **Minor OC alert, along with a few surprise characters.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _Royal Woods Middle School…_

Lynn was bored. Bored and excited, if that was even possible.

 _'Come on. Why does it take so long for that little hand to go around?'_ She thought as she ground her teeth and counted down to the bell. It wasn't that hard, there normally wasn't anything more interesting to do on the last leg of English. She looked away from the clock into the eyes of her teacher, Mrs. Heller, who was watching Lynn from over the thick brown book she had on a stand on her desk. _'How long has she been watching me? Shoot.'_ Lynn smiled at Mrs. Heller, picked up her pencil, and pretended to reread her paper. Mrs. Heller stood up from her desk and strode to the front of the classroom and signaled for everybody to pass their papers forwards. Lynn slouched in her seat _. 'How is someone that short that freaking scary?'_ Lynn thought, but decided not to dwell on it. She passed her paper forwards and cast her eyes out the window to her right. She shivered with excitement and she let the briefest of smiles cross her face as she imagined herself on the field, everyone cheering her name.

Once Mrs. Heller received every paper she began thumbing through them. "Homework, due on Monday, five-hundred words based on the prompt 'Describe a major disappointment that has happened recently, and what you've learned from it.' Those with first drafts or outlines may also turn them in for extra credit. You may talk until the bell." She said that all very fast and she ended by sitting down back at her desk.

Everybody began quietly chatting, except Lynn who simply packed her bag and sat, ready to pounce. _'So, I already know she's never going to let me out early, so maybe I could go over and start talking to Gavin, and since he's closest to the door I could…'_

"Loud, see me after class."

 _'Really? We're doing this today?'_ She rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat, groaning as loudly as she could. Mrs. Heller just looked at her over her reading glasses. _'Is she smiling?'_

Mrs. Heller placed her reading glasses on top of her tightly tied-back blonde hair. "I am very sorry that you won't be the first out of class today, but I think you'll like what I have to tell you."

Lynn slouched back into her chair and blew a loud raspberry. The eruption of giggles from the class was enough for Mrs. Heller to give her a judgmental look before going back to checking papers. Lynn smirked as she looked back out the window. _'Lynn Loud: One. Mrs. Heller: Zip.'_

The bell rang, and every student stood up as if choreographed. Lynn stood too, throwing her bag over one shoulder while trying to hide behind her neighbor, a black boy who was a-head-and-a-half taller than her and twice as wide _. 'Maybe if I try and sneak out she won't…'_

"Loud!"

 _'Dang it.'_

Lynn sulked all the way to Mrs. Heller's desk. After thirty seconds the two were alone, and Mrs. Heller herself sat with a slightly amused expression on her face. "Was there a tragedy in your family that I'm not aware of?"

Lynn gave her a quizzical look, but Mrs. Heller remained still. "Uh, no."

Mrs. Heller looked down her hawk-like nose at her. "You look as though your dog just died. Is there something wrong?"

 _'Okay, great. I'm already late and she decides to play counselor.'_ Lynn drew in a breath. "I've got something to do and the longer I stand here is time I could spend doing it."

Mrs. Heller stood and rounded her desk. "Then I'll be blunt." She held out a paper. "What is this, Lynn?"

 _'Did she just call me by my first name? Oh nuts.'_ Lynn looked at the paper. It was her own that she'd finished about thirty minutes prior. "That's my paper." _'Nice going on that one, genius.'_

Mrs. Heller raised an eyebrow. "Really? This is yours?"

'Well duh. You saw me pass it up.' "Yeah?"

"I thought," She pulled it back and gave it a once over, "that there was a chance that your older sister was somehow playing one of her pranks on you again; because this is the funniest thing I've read all day." That slightly amused smile returned to her thin face.

Lynn just stood there until she came up with something to say. "You think that it's funny?"

Mrs. Heller nodded. "Not intentionally, of course. This is one of the most inept essays I've ever reviews. I've seen threads on internet message boards with better grammar and punctuation."

Lynn's fist clenched. "Are we done?"

Mrs. Heller shook her head. "Now, Lynn, if I was to grade this paper, it would be a low D. And that's if I counted sheer amusement as a grading factor." She handed Lynn the paper. Lynn took it and held it by her side. "That might be enough for the Michigan State Education Board to consider 'passing,' but that's not enough for me. As far as I'm concerned, this is unacceptable."

Lynn's hand shook. She crunched her paper into her palm. "You kept me back so you could rub this in my face?"

Mrs. Heller was unfazed. "Not exactly." She raised her hand to silence Lynn. "I said that you'd like what I have to say, so here it is: I know that you're going to play your baseball finals today, so that makes, what, four sports on your schedule?"

"Six." Lynn growled. "And it's softball. Not baseball."

"And I know that playing so much, especially after a school week might make you feel a tad... overextended."

 _'You clearly don't know who you're talking to.'_ Lynn thought.

Mrs. Heller held up a finger. "But, that does not excuse you coming in here and simply wasting time after submitting an essay that a dyslexic five-year old would consider pitiful."

She glared up at Mrs. Heller, and Lynn couldn't help but notice how irritating her face was. Not anything in specific, the whole thing just annoyed her. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Sorry? Lynn, are you alright? You seem rather flushed."

'Save it for later. She's not worth it.' She told herself. She inhaled deeply and said as calmly as she could. "Could you please stop looking at me like that? It feels weird."

Mrs. Heller was confused, but she turned away and continued. "So, I'm going to give you one more chance. If you have a proper version of this essay in the homework box on Monday, I will look past this joke that you gave me today."

 _'Wait, what?'_ Lynn's jaw fell open wide enough that Mrs. Heller could've stuck her arm down Lynn's throat. Lynn dropped her paper onto the floor. "Y-You're giving me a second chance?"

Mrs. Heller nodded. "Indeed. Don't expect another one. If you do the work correctly, you won't need one."

 _'Does she really have that much faith in me?'_ Lynn shook her head. "Why?"

Mrs. Heller just looked down at her, and then lowered herself to look Lynn right in the eyes. "Because I have decided that you haven't tried hard enough."

Lynn tilted her head. "Huh?"

Mrs. Heller stood straight, her dark brown eyes boring right into Lynn's. "Allow me to explain. In my class, you've done nothing to warrant a second chance, but I decided I might re-evaluate how I saw you after I saw you play in that game in Huntington Woods last week. If that's how you do when you're motivated, I would like to see if you could ever shift this passion onto your schoolwork. Consider this a test." She went back to her desk. "If you take this as seriously as your sports, then you shouldn't have a problem." She sat back down. "You're dismissed."

Lynn didn't move, and her mouth was still hanging open. "If I write in cursive, will I get the plus-five?"

Mrs. Heller replied, without looking up from her papers. "If it's legible. And if I were you, I'd consider doing a rough draft of your essay as well. Topic is in yesterday's packet if you forgot."

Lynn stood, only for a moment, before bolting for the door as fast as she could run, leaving her original paper lying forgotten on the floor. She was in a world of her own as she blasted down the halls at full speed. She smiled as she made her way down the stairs towards the jungle that was her school immediately after the final bell. _'Lynn Loud, first to get Mrs. Heller to give her a second shot. That homework sucks though. Five hundred words, plus this re-do, plus the first draft, all in cursive. Oh, jeez, what did I just get into?'_ She rounded a corner and nearly crashed into two students, one of whom was holding a stack of organized papers, the other was bent over, tying his shoe. "Out of the way, nerds!" She yelled as she leap-frogged over the bent-over boy, almost colliding with the boy with the papers. She didn't have time to notice him as he stumbled back as his papers crashed to the floor, nor did she care. _'Nope, not going to let any of this ruin my day. I'll just ask Lisa to proofread my stuff when I get home.'_ Her cleats were a blaze upon the checkered linoleum as she bobbed and weaved through the crowds. She wound up nearly overshooting her locker, but she made it. She dropped her backpack in and picked up her sports bag. She quickly made a left in the direction of the front doors, past the mass of students that was mostly out of the school. She skidded right and nearly bowled right into a group of a half-dozen cheerleaders, but she corrected before collision.

"Hey!" They all screamed in synchronized annoyance, but Lynn wasn't listening.

"Outta the way, skirts!" She yelled as she made her way around the group.

"What did you just call…"

But as Lynn passed she quickly turned and sang, "You wear skirts and I wear shorts 'cuz you just dance while I play sports! Ha!" Before turning and streaking down the hall, oblivious to the one furious girl that the other cheerleaders were holding back. She blasted the doors open and bounded down the steps that led to the front doors of the middle school. The afternoon was gray. _'A perfect day in the making.'_ She thought as she closed her eyes to take in the feeling of the wind _. 'And now, the pre-game run.'_ She had just opened her eyes again when, boom. She slammed face first into something very soft and very purple. In the confusion she tripped over her foot, bringing herself onto the ground on top of a pair of pillow-like things which cushioned her fall. Lynn looked up into the equally surprised face of the dark-haired girl she was lying on top of. From around her, Lynn could hear some laughter, but Lynn ended up hearing the other things people were yelling.

"Hot!"

"Kiss her!"

"C'mon! It's Friday! Give us a show!"

But Lynn didn't get up. Her face went violently red and she ended up laying there long enough for her makeshift cushion to say, "Do you mind?" In the most deadpan voice possible.

Lynn removed herself from the girl's cleavage and staggered back as she got his mind back on track. "Out of the way lamebrain! I've got a trophy to win!" She announced as she started running again, leaving the girl lying on the ground.

"Jeez, weird." One of the boys said as he held out a hand to the girl, who took it and let him help pull her up.

The girl shook her head. "Obnoxious normie." She gave the boy who helped her up a quick nod as a thank you before she went back to what she was doing.

* * *

 _Outside Royal Woods Elementary…_

"Hey guys!" Lincoln said as he walked towards Rusty and Liam, who were sitting by the flagpole out in front of the school.

"Hey Linc!" Rusty said with a wave. Liam did the same.

Lincoln went up to them, hitching his backpack up slightly. "So, Burpin' Burger?"

Liam nodded, "Listen, thank you, Lincoln. I know your family, y'all got things to do…"

Lincoln put his hand up. "It's fine. I wasn't really up to much anyways."

"What about me?" Droned someone from behind them.

Everyone jumped and turned to see Lucy standing there, books in hand, custom gothic backpack on. Lincoln grinned the best he could to cover his shock. "Guys, remember Lucy?"

Liam nodded. "I sure do now."

Lucy looked at Rusty. "How's Rocky? I wrote him a poem about lovers forever torn apart."

Rusty shrugged. "He's, like, cool, I guess. You want me to give it to him?"

"My bats deliver. And I know where you live." She said matter-of factly, which caused Rusty and Liam to exchange worried glances.

Lincoln quickly stepped in. "So, let's walk! It's not that far!" Everybody agreed and Rusty led the way. Lincoln hung back to walk next to Lucy. "Lucy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to forget…"

"I know."

"You wanna talk now?"

"Later." She stated as she pulled the books closer to her chest. "When we're alone."

Lincoln just kept walking, without another word.

* * *

 _Royal Woods Baseball Field…_

Lynn was exuberant as she ran, and she had a smile on her face as she ran through the parking lot _. 'Now the gate's over there so… On second thought, I've got a better idea.'_ She chucked her sports bag over the fence and climbed up and over. She landed feet first and grabbed her bag without breaking stride. _'Ha! Can't stop me, stupid fence.'_ She walked along the grass towards the burnt-orange pitcher's mound. The colors stood out especially because of the cloudy gray sky. The stadium was empty, but then again, the game wasn't for two hours. Her team likely wasn't going to show up for at least an hour. She imagined for a moment that she was in Fenway Park, and she spun around, wonder in her eyes. _'I am gonna rock the world today.'_ She dropped her sports bag, opened it, and pulled out her freshly buffed lucky baseball and mitt. "Hey guys." She gave the faded brown leather a light stroke like it was a puppy. 'Right, let's get to it. First thing's first, the three pitches, then I'll run the plates.' She threw her sports bag off towards the bleachers, and spread her feet out, assumed her pitching position, and threw the ball in the direction of home plate. "Strike one!" She went to pick up the ball, returned to home plate, and threw it again, this time throwing it well over home plate. "Strike two!"

She picked it up and again returned to home plate, but she didn't throw the ball immediately. She glared at the imaginary batter that was silently taunting her. Her face scrunched up in determination until she wound back the pitch and threw it as hard as she could. The ball streaked across the field and slammed into the wall behind home plate, where it hit with a very loud crack.

"Oh yeah! Strike three!" The punched the air as hard as she could. "She did it! She brought it home and won the game. Lynn-er Lynn-er Chicken dinner all over your face losers! Ha ha!" She spiked her glove into the grass then proceeded to do her classic backwards butt-thrusting victory dance across the field. "Can't stop this! Nuh-uh! Can't even get close. Uh-Huh!" She continued this until she reached home plate. _'Now, three times once around, and then I have to clean the plates.'_ She started running around the diamond. _'Can't have dirty plates anywhere.'_ She ran around the diamond three times and stopped at home plate. 'And now, just to make sure.' She turned and ran back around the diamond backwards, making sure to trip over every base on her way _. 'That'll make sure all the unlucky mojo is gone.'_

She pranced over to where she had thrown her sports bag, _'Those Foxes don't have a chance. Not one.'_ She smiled lightly as she opened her bag and pulled out a metal bottle. She sat down on the grass and started chugging as much water as she could get through the safety cap _. 'Dang that feels good. If heaven doesn't have a sports section then send me to H-E-double-hockey-stick, 'cuz at least there they've got hockey.'_ She thought with a smile _. 'I really should get to cleaning those plates. Can't ever stop making the softball gods happy.'_

She looked around. "Nah, I can do that later. I've got time." She sat down, cross-legged on the grass, and took in a long, deep breath. "I love the smell of AstroTurf in the morning!" She said loudly, but there was nobody there to hear her _. 'No-one there. I guess I can't be making the crowds cheer all the time.'_ She laughed, and she shivered with excitement as she leaned back and set her eyes on the stands _. 'I have to remember that English assignment. What was the prompt? 'Something about disappointments.'_ She leaned back onto the grass and considered the clouds as she thought _. 'God, why does Mrs. Heller always have to pick prompts that are weird and nerdy.'_ She made a mildly disgusted noise. _'But, I guess there could be something. Just think for a minute.'_

And after a few minutes, she did _, 'I wonder why nobody's come to my games this season.'_ She pursed her lips thoughtfully _, 'Lori's always got a date with Bobby or Carol or Becky or Helen. Does Lori even know a Helen? Luna and Luan have always got shows, and everybody else just doesn't show up.'_ Her face fell. _'They aren't doing it on purpose, are they? Leni wouldn't do that, would she?_

 _'I mean, I don't really want Lucy to be around if she's gonna act like she was this morning, and Lincoln…'_ She stopped thinking as she recalled the last several times he went to her games _. 'He said he'd always be there, and then he never came to my games until I asked him to. And nowadays he just… he just stopped caring.'_ Her expression darkened _. 'Well, he was bad luck anyway. He made me lose, and once he lost that squirrel outfit, there's no point in him coming anymore.'_ She slid her hands behind her head and sighed _. 'But, I do wish he was here today.'_ She thought. _'Maybe, I don't know. maybe it was just a temporary thing? Maybe he's all better now?'_

She stared into the sky for a minute, lost in thought. _'That could work. I could write about how Linc turned out to be bad luck. That's a good. I do wish he could come back.'_ She shivered again. _'No, sorry Linc. I can't risk it. Last time was bad enough. If I keep the softball gods happy, I'll be number one. If they don't want to come see me win,'_ She gave herself a small, slightly nervous smile, _'it don't confront me none.'_

* * *

 _Royal Woods Community Theater…_

Luan walked through the doors to the community theater, and, as always, had to resist the urge to gasp. The theatre had recently been expanded thanks to a hefty donation from a former performer-turned-actor, transforming it from a brick-and-plaster nightmare into a knock-off European opera house. After the renovations the room seated over a-thousand on plush red fabric seats that all pointed to the traditional wooden stage that had been positioned for ideal acoustics in the massive deep-colored wood room. Luan had entered through one of the doors at the side of the room, because of the cleaners in the lobby, which meant the stage was just out of view as she entered, but the auditorium itself was on full display.

As she walked, she heard a voice which made her stop. "What about hanging ourselves?" Said a voice from onstage. Luan clutched her book bag tightly to her chest as she peaked around the corner. Standing onstage, his eyes on the gray-colored script in his hands, was Benny. He hadn't noticed her, so he cleared his throat and repeated the line with different emphasis. Luan took a moment to adjust the pink flower she always wore on her shirt, but just as she was about to step forward, Benny read the next line.

"An erection!" He announced in an excited voice to the pretend person on his right.

Luan couldn't help herself, she laughed. Benny was surprised when he looked down to see Luan walking towards him. "I'm not sure if I want to know what you're talking about." She said with a brace-lined grin.

Benny nodded. "It's complicated." He took the stairs down from the stage two at a time. "You've never read Waiting for Godot?"

She shook her head. "Never had the time," She dropped her bag by the edge of the stage, "I really should get a watch." Benny chuckled, and Luan shifted herself lightly from one foot to the other as she tried not to think of how cute his laugh was.

Benny walked towards her, "You could read this one." He held the script out to her.

She shook her head, "I'll dig it up later. It's online, right?"

He nodded, "Just to let you know, it's kind of weird. My mom thinks it's the most boring thing ever. It's two guys standing by, like, a tree for a couple hours."

Luan's mismatched eyes flashed as she remembered one of her jokes. "Well, you like it, so, I'm sure it's tree-mendously good."

He smiled. "Just to let you know, flat-tree will get you nowhere."

"But I've been pine-ing for you for so long." Luan's hand quickly covered her mouth and she started blushing furiously.

Benny started blushing as he looked away. "So, wanna practice?" He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Whatever you want." She said with a shy smile, which he returned.

He went over to the shoulder bag in the far corner, where he pulled out his script. He held it out to her, but as Luan stepped over to get it, she stumbled. He threw his hands up to shield against the impending collision, but it never came. Luan had righted herself before she hit him, her arms awkwardly out to stop her fall.

"Whoops." He said.

She nodded and smiled in return, and she moved to put her hands down, but before she could she got an idea. She pushed slightly against the air, as if she just fell against an invisible wall. She gave him a faux-confused expression as she pounded on the air. His smile widened, and he took a step closer, and he reached out his hand. He placed it flat against hers, as if he was on the other side of the wall. She shifted her hand in small circles, and his hand followed. No matter what she did or what he did, their hands never parted. They kept their improvised mime routine up for several minutes until someone else came in.

"Hey! Dear Romeo and fairest Juliet, we got donuts if you want 'em!" Said a kid who had just walked in from the same side door Luan had gone through several minutes prior.

"Sounds good, Toby." Benny said without paying much attention. "You want one?" He asked Luan as they separated their palms.

Luan nodded with a blissful smile on her lips, and her mismatched eyes hazy with happiness.

* * *

 _Outside Burpin' Burger…_

"Adios Lincoln!" Rusty said as he left for his parents' car.

"Bye! Thanks again, Lincoln!" Liam said as he walked off towards his own parents' tractor.

"Later Liam! Bye Rusty!" Lincoln waved at Liam as he set off in the opposite direction, towards R.I. Pete's.

As Lincoln walked down the sidewalk he cleared his throat. "Liam's a nice guy, once you get past his family and their ways. Everyone else around here's a suburb kid, but Liam's from a rural family. And not just a rural family, a rural Texas family. Sometimes it's like talking to somebody from another planet. Like Planet Texas, or something." Lincoln shrugged as the people walking towards him all decided to cross the street for some reason. "So, his family's different. So, what?" He smiled and ran a hand over his cowlick, "Who am I to talk? Everybody's different, even in just one family. Just look at…"

He stopped dead in his tracks. R.I. Pete's Coffins & Urns was closed. Lincoln blinked, as he tried to comprehend what his eyes were telling him. He walked closer and pressed his face against the glass of the front window. All the lights were out, and Lincoln could see renovation equipment through the window. The sign out front said that it'd reopen in a month. Lincoln looked around, but Lucy was nowhere to be seen. He braced himself, just in case Lucy just appeared behind him, but there was nothing.

"Dang it. Come on Lucy, where are you?" He looked around, almost expecting to see someplace that would be where Lucy would obviously hang out, but there was nothing. He started running as fast as his backpack would let him. He ran past Karaoke-Dokie and Biker Gear; neither of those places were nearly dreary enough for Lucy. "Think Lincoln. Think. There's gotta be someplace." He passed Good Sport Sporting Goods. "What the heck did Lynn do that made Lucy act this way?"

Lincoln locked his eyes on The Spin Cycle record shop down the street. "Maybe there's a section of death metal or Danny Elfman or something. Yeah, that's it. She's gotta be there." It took him a minute to get there, and once he did, he pulled the door open and bolted inside.

There was a blond girl with blue streaks in her hair sitting at the register, who smiled as he came in. "Hey dude, welcome to the…"

But Lincoln cut her off. "Have you seen a pale girl with black hair who's always got a frown on her face?"

"Actually, yeah." The girl said. Lincoln let out a relieved smile as the girl waved at somebody down one of the aisles. "Yo, Mags!"

Lincoln's eyes got wide. "Hold on, what?" Lincoln spun around, and his face went red as he saw a familiar unimpressed expression, and the girl that came with it.

But she hadn't noticed him yet, and she was already talking to the blonde girl. "So, anyway, after this rando hits me, she…"

The blonde girl put her hand up. "This kid wants to talk to you."

Maggie looked down at Lincoln and narrowed her eyes once she got a good look at him. "I know you, don't I?" She asked.

Lincoln didn't say anything, but his face fell as it went from beet red to whiter than his hair in an instant.

She stared at the speechless boy for a second before declaring, "My birthday."

That jogged Lincoln's memory enough to bring up a name. "Maggie?"

She crossed her arms. "Obviously."

Lincoln nodded. "Hey!" He said as he put on a massive forced grin. "How you doing? Hope things are all great in the emo-sphere."

She rolled her eyes, "I guess it's gonna be one of those days."

'I'm… uh, sorry you're not who I want. I'm looking for my sister." Said Lincoln to the blonde girl. He looked back at Maggie. "I'm sorry to bug you, but have you seen a small girl, black hair over her eyes, all gothic and dreary, always frowning? Kinda acts like a miniature version of you?"

"Thanks." Maggie said dryly, without changing expression.

"Sorry, sorry." Lincoln jittered.

Sam snorted as she walked around the counter to meet him. "Well, with a description like that, she shouldn't be hard to find in a crowd. You see her, Mags?"

"No." Maggie said bluntly. "I wasn't looking. What's her name?"

"Lucy."

Maggie pondered for a minute. "Haven't met her. I could call a few people."

Lincoln set his eyes to the ground. "But I need to find out where she is now! She said she wanted to talk about something and she didn't tell me where she wanted to talk and now I'm trying to figure out where she could be hanging..."

"Whoa boy, slow down." Sam said as she put her hands on Lincoln's shoulders.

"So, where does she normally hang?" Asked Maggie.

Lincoln huffed. "Graveyards, mostly. She said she was going to R.I. Pete's, but they're closed."

"Anything else?" Sam asked.

He thought. "She always likes showing up whenever no one's looking. She's really quiet and it spooks everybody out."

As they talked, Maggie stood by, her arms still crossed, lost in thought before she said, "Check your pockets."

He did so and when he noticed something in his pocket he hadn't earlier. It was a small slip of paper. "Huh? Where'd this come from?" He pulled it out and looked it over. It was a torn off piece of notebook paper folded in half.

He looked up at Maggie in disbelief. "How did you…?"

"Lucky guess." She said offhandedly.

"She does that." Sam added.

Lincoln shook his head. "I swear, Lucy's got a life as a ninja ahead of her. A gothic ninja."

"So? What does it say?" Sam asked.

He opened the paper. "Harrow Cemetery, Reverie Road."

"Oh." Sam said, "Edge of town. By Ferndale, I think."

Lincoln nodded and pulled out his phone to check his maps app. "Four freaking miles? Why couldn't Lucy have picked someplace closer?"

Maggie shrugged. "Probably just wants to be alone."

"Thank you for this. You really just bailed me out."

"It's nothing." Sam said. "By the way Mags, does Linkin Park go in nu-metal or alt-rock?"

Lincoln looked up. "What?"

Sam shot him a confused look. "Who?"

Lincoln looked from her to Maggie. "I thought you said… Never mind."

"Your name's Lincoln isn't it?" Maggie asked.

"Um, yeah." He said, tentatively.

Sam nodded. "Oh, okay. That makes sense. Not with a 'K', right."

Lincoln shook his head. "You named after someone? Abe, maybe?" Asked Maggie.

Lincoln looked at Sam for a moment, who wordlessly egged him on without Maggie seeing. "Uh… I don't think so."

Maggie asked. "Then why not Lucius? Or Leonardo? Or Leroy?" She asked, emphasizing the last name with gusto.

"Nope, just Lincoln."

Maggie nodded. "Interesting."

"Why'd you ask?"

Maggie shrugged. "I like names. They have meaning."

"Yeah." Sam said as she put her arm around Maggie with a massive grin. "Take this specimen here: Maggie, or I should say, Margaret, is named after her great-great… great-great-great… great-grandmother."

Maggie raised her eyebrow. "At least I, like, have family history behind mine. Can you say the same – Samus Aran Sharp?"

"Touché." Sam replied with a roll of her eyes. "It's what I get for having folks who are gamers. I'll be back in a sec." She said as she left Lincoln and Maggie alone.

There was a suitably awkward silence between the two until Lincoln got up the nerve to say, "I guess I owe you twice now."

"Why?"

Lincoln nervously hitched his pack up. "Well, I nearly ruined your birthday, and you just helped me find Lucy, so I owe you two times now."

"It's nothing." She said. "My birthday was nice. Even though you flattened the cake."

"Yeah." He said nervously while he hitched up his backpack. "Nice job, me."

"It was funnier when you had to ask mom if you could go, like, wash the cake out of your clothes."

Lincoln nodded, and looked at Maggie, who was smirking. Lincoln smiled in return and started laughing. "Yeah, I don't know what was in that thing, but it was a real pain in the neck to wash out."

"And then you had to clean up the mess."

"Yeah," He said as he kept laughing. "I felt less like a clown and more like a custodian."

"You were better at that than you were as a clown." She said with a half-smile.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

Sam returned, a box of vinyl records in hand. "Well, nice to see you two are getting along."

Lincoln nodded and looked down at his watch. "Hey, listen, thanks for all of your help. I gotta go find my sister."

"Good luck." Sam said as she sat back down on her seat behind the counter.

Lincoln flinched at the usage of one of his least-favorite words, but that feeling was quickly buried as he felt his confidence build. "I don't need luck." He puffed out his chest and smiled. "I'm Lincoln Loud, the best dang brother anywhere around."

Sam laughed, and even Maggie couldn't help herself. She smiled, but she brought her hand up to cover her mouth, as if to hide it. "If you say so. Goodbye, Lincoln Loud." Said Sam.

"Bye Sam! Bye Maggie!" He said as left.

"What a weird little kid." Maggie said as she waved at the departing Lincoln.

Sam snapped her fingers. "That's where I know him. He's Luna's little bro." She shook her head. "He's adorable."

"If you say so." Said Maggie. "He reminds me of your brother, except not as obnoxious."

"Yeah, even looks like him, 'cept for the hair." Sam's smile disappeared as a realization hit her. "Hold on, he's looking for Lucy, and he's Luna's brother."

"I think one of his sisters does a clown act. Luan, I think her name was." Maggie said with a faint blush. "That's five."

"Jeez, how many kids are there in that house? I've just got Sy and that's already…" Sam shook her head. "Nope. Don't want to think about it."

"Sometimes, I'm glad I'm an only child." Maggie stated. "It has perks."

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

 _We're down to the last pitch. Full count at the bottom of the ninth. The fans are all on their feet as they're waiting for the pitch, just like me. I don't even blink as I wait for the pitcher to throw, I just hold the bat tight. He winds up, and he throws; I swing, and I hit it. It's up, it's over the bleachers, and it hits the warehouse. It's gone! Everyone in the stands cheers as I round the diamond, and everyone's waiting for me at the plate._

 _But I see somebody as I go around. He's in the stands and wearing red, but I can see him because of his white hair. I run over to him. He's smiling at me and telling me how great I was. I don't know how her got here. He's not supposed to be here. But he is, and I just won. He's okay; he's not bad luck anymore. I run towards him to give him a hug, but someone grabs me by the back of my shirt and I'm pulled into a pile of people. I try and reach out for him, but my fingers only brushes his hand before I'm pulled into a mass of red. They're pulling at all my clothes as they keep whispering about how great I am._

 _And then I'm lying on the grass, all my clothes gone, in front of the whole park. And they're laughing at me. They're talking about how dumb I look without my team colors. My team is laughing too. Everybody's laughing. I pull my arms and legs up to cover myself as I curl into the grass._

 _I just want to disappear._

* * *

Lynn screamed and jolted awake, instinctively clutching at her clothes to make sure they were still there. Her eyes looked from left to right, but she was still alone in the stadium. Lynn was still breathing heavy as she leaned back onto her hands _. 'It's okay, I'm alright. It was just a nightmare.'_ She closed her eyes and counted to ten, but she didn't feel any better at the end _. 'I mean, wow. That one was... I don't even know.'_ She shivered and looked up at the cloudy sky. _'Really? That all you got to throw at me?'_

It was then that she tasted something. She put her hand up go her lips and when she pulled it back her fingertips were coated in red. 'Oh shit.' Her eyes went wide, and she rubbed her nose on her sleeves, only to see her sleeve covered in blood. _'Oh shit. Oh fuck. Oh jeez. I think I need to… Bathroom.'_

She quickly stood, pulling her sports bag with her and bolted towards the dugout, but the moment she started moving again, she felt something caustic in the back of her throat. She ran to restroom next to the dugout, blasted the door, threw her bag to the floor and ran over to one of the sinks and tried to get herself under control. _'Breathe in, breathe out. You'll be okay.' She_ thought as she stared at her reflection. Her right nostril was bleeding profusely. _'You're fine. You're okay. It's gonna take more than that to get you, right?'_

And then she threw up. After a minute she had fully disgorged what was left of her breakfast into the sink. _'This isn't making me feel better.'_ She thought as she spat into the sink in a vain attempt to get the last of the barf out of her mouth. _'Why can't Lucy be the one who gets the freaky dreams? That was too...'_ "Ugh." Was all she could think to say as she looked at the puke that she was dripping blood into.

Lynn swore, switched on the water to flush it away, and went to the paper towel dispenser. _'What a nightmare.'_ She thought as she looked at her reflection. As usual, she was greeted by her familiar grass-green eyes over the bloodstained paper towel she had up her nose. Once it was blood-soaked, she threw it in the wastebasket and shoved her head underneath the water flow in the sink. _'That feels so good.'_ She let out a low groan as she felt the cold water run through her hair and down her neck _. 'I don't know though, that dream felt really… vivid.'_ She clenched. "That sucked." She pulled her head out of the water and wiped away the small blood trickle around her lip. _'This means something, it has to. This nosebleed had to be caused by something. And that dream has something to do with it. This can't just be a coincidence. Just figure out what they've got in common.'_ Just as she placed a new paper towel up to her nose her eyes went wide, and she yelled out, "Holy crap, it's an omen!"

 _'It's gotta be! The softball gods don't like something, but what?' She_ paced back and forth, thinking hard as she kept the pressure on her nose. _'I don't know. It's gotta be something,' she thought as she binned the towel. 'Red! My clothes! They don't like what I'm wearing!'_ With that she threw the paper towel away and pulled everything off, including her lucky jockstrap. _'I can't take any chances.'_ Everything except her shoes and socks had red on it, so she bundled them together and dumped them in a nearby had just turned to go back to her sports bag when the door banged open. Lynn spun around to see Margo casually walking towards the bathroom before stopping and staring at Lynn, who was standing there, wide-eyed and naked as the day she was born. Margo opened her mouth to speak, but Lynn said her piece first. "Get out!" She Screamed at the top of her lungs, and Margo swiftly obliged.

Lynn started breathing heavier as her face burned hotter than a road flare. _'Oh my god, she's gonna tell everyone. They're gonna think I'm losing it.'_ She put her head in her hands _. 'What am I gonna do about that?'_ She looked down to see her lucky jock, which was lying separate from her clothes. Lynn's eyes focused on it, on the red stitching around the waistband. Her eyes grew steely. ' _No. Nothing's wrong. I just need to get rid of all the red. If the red's gone, everything'll be fine. I need to win this. This can wait 'til later, the game is the only thing that matters right now.'_ She gritted her teeth and opened her bag after confirming she did have spares for everything except her underwear. _'I guess I'm going commando today. That's fine. I'm fine. I'll be okay.'_ She pulled out her uniform; only then did she realize that it was even redder than her normal clothes. 'No. I can't wear this. Not today.' She pulled on her shorts and she found her cleats beneath the sink. They were they only non-red things in her entire wardrobe. She pulled them on, without socks, grabbed her shirt and ran outside, leaving her bag behind. Her team had arrived and were mingling around the dugout, getting ready for the game. Lynn went right for Margo, who was standing by the railing, talking in a hushed voice to some of the other teammates.

"Hey, what's up?" Lynn asked as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"Hey Lynn-sanity." Margo said. "We were just talking and, uh…"

"Well?" Lynn said as she pulled her shirt down. "Come on! Spit it out!"

Margo looked from Lynn to her teammates and said, "We were just wondering if you were okay. I mean, you know, in the bathroom…"

Henrietta, a ginger-haired girl with glasses, walked over to Lynn, "Margo said you seemed worried about something."

Lynn laughed, "I'm fine, Henry." She said dismissively before turning back to Margo. "What you were doing in the can before our game?"

"What were you?" Lynn looked over to see Bella, a brown-haired girl with heavy lidded eyes who always had a smirk on her face, looking up at her from the bench with a raised eyebrow.

Lynn ignored her, "So? Explain yourself." She told Margo.

Margo looked at her as if Lynn was a large carnivorous animal that she had grabbed ahold of her. She couldn't help but stumble over her words. "I just... I had to... I thought I could..."

But Lynn had heard enough. "You were gonna bomb the bowl, weren't you?" The moment she said that, everyone around them had stopped to look at the situation that was unfolding.

"She's not the only one." Bella said.

Everyone groaned while Lynn's gaze switched to her. "And what does that mean? Hmm?"

Henry looked back at them. "She was gonna find out eventually, guys."

Bella crossed her arms and said to Lynn, "Of course we've been going to the bathroom. Ever since I nearly cacked my shorts last season I've been going."

"It helps with my game sweats too." Henry commented. "I started going this season after Margo suggested it."

Margo nodded too. "Yeah, after that time on the bus I thought that it wouldn't hurt if I…"

"Well you thought wrong!" Lynn interrupted. She turned to everyone else, "This ends today! I need everyone to put in maximum effort and I can't risk any bad luck! Especially not now!"

"We get it, it's the finals!"

Bella ground her teeth together, "And I'm not gonna risk blowing my breakfast all over the field just because of some crackpot idea you got stuck in your skull."

Lynn walked right towards her, "If that's what you want then get out! We don't need you anyways."

Bella was about to start arguing back when Margo got in between them. "Whoa, girls! Calm down. Just step back and take a breather, alright?"

Lynn turned to Abby, a large girl with red hair who already had her uniform on, "Also, we're switching uniforms! We can't wear these!"

Bella groaned loudly, "Really? Now? Of all the times you had to spring this on us, now?" She looked to the girl she was sitting next to, Josie, a darker-skinned, buck-toothed girl with rust colored hair. "Could she have picked a more inconvenient moment?" Bella asked her, but Josie just shrugged and checked her glove.

Henry looked from the team to Lynn and asked, "Is there something wrong? What's wrong with red?"

Bella snorted. "Or are you suddenly just scared of a color today?"

Lynn shuddered slightly as she remembered her dream, but she quickly found her footing again. "I'm not scared of nothing, but I know if we use anything red today, something bad is gonna happen. I can feel it. Anything red is dangerous. It's evil, and I can't risk it. If there's anything red on our clothes or our gear, drop it."

"Uh, Lynn-sanity…" Margo said cautiously.

But Lynn wasn't listening. "From this point on, red is the color of bad luck. Red sucks! Anything red is bad! We can't have anything red anywhere on our team today, okay?"

"Lynn!"

She stopped and looked to see what Margo was on about, but she was looking just over Lynn's shoulder. Lynn spun around to see Abby, with her mouth open and tears in her eyes. Lynn's own eyes widened as she saw Abby's red hair sticking out from under her cap. "Abby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

But Abby was having none of it. She just threw her hat at Lynn and marched past her without a word, down the hall to the left of the restroom door, on her way to the parking lot. Margo shot her a worried glance before running after Abby, leaving Lynn in front of the judging eyes of her team, holding Abby's hat. Henry, who had her glasses off and was rubbing the bridge of her nose, said, "So, can we get going now? We have to play in half-an-hour."

 _'Play it cool. They're your team.'_ Lynn shook her head and stood on the bench, so she towered over everyone else. "Right, pay attention! There's something coming, and if we've got red on us we're gonna get plowed!" She held the hat out at arm's length. "I can feel it. It's gonna get heavy today, so we've gotta be ready for it! No red! At all! So, any equipment that's got red on it, your uniforms, your bats, whatever, lose it, now!"

Bella groaned again. "How exactly are we going to switch uniforms this fast? All our spares are red too. It's the team color for Christ's sake." The rest of the team nodded.

"The Good Sport gives free replacements to local teams." Henry said quietly as she put her glasses on. "They're only ten minutes away."

Bella groaned. "You're not helping."

Henry just shot her a glance before saying. "I just want to play. I don't care what color I'm wearing."

Lynn looked down to her. "Can you go get enough uniforms for us, in any color except red?"

"Or orange." Margo said as she re-entered the meeting. "That's the Foxes' color."

"How's Abby?" Bella asked.

Margo shook her head. "She's had enough. She's gone."

Bella threw her hands in the air. "Well this game's off to a terrific start. Before we've even started we've lost our left-fielder."

Lynn shook her head and jumped down from the bench. "Positive vibes guys. We can work around this. We are all good enough to push past this. Just count your lucky stars today people, we need 'em." She turned to Henry. "Get those uniforms."

Henry nodded. "Hey Bella, I could use a spare pair of hands."

Bella nodded and looked to Josie. "You wanna?" Josie shook her head. Bella stood and followed Henry. "I dunno. I'm thinkin' we should give coach a call."

"Forget it." Henry muttered. "She can't even bother to show up most days."

"Probably drunk anyway. I should give my brother a call though." Said Bella, "Tell him to steer clear of this shit."

As the two left and the team all started groaning and checking their equipment for red, Josie went over to Lynn, closely followed by Margo, who began saying, "Hey, Lynn, look, I'm sorry I need to ask this but…"

"I already don't like it." Lynn said while looking away from her.

Margo nodded, and got close to Lynn's ear, "We've got to reschedule our lineup, don't we?"

Lynn turned to her incredulously. "What you mean?"

"She means I'm going to have to fill in for her on left field." Josie said bluntly, causing both Lynn and Margo to react in surprise. Josie had gone the last three games without so much as a word to anyone. "So, I'm not going to be able to pitch unless you…"

Lynn shook her head and smiled. "No, sorry. I gotta do this."

Margo shot Josie a worried glance. "You sure? I mean, we're going nine innings."

Lynn put an arm on her shoulder. "C'mon, I can do it."

"Not for that long." Josie said. "Average fifteen pitches an inning for nine innings, plus batting time. That's enough to make even professionals tired."

Margo shook her head. "Look, we can switch out. While Josie pitches I can…"

"Guys, c'mon, I'll put this away, trust me." Lynn replied.

"Just like last season." Josie said.

Lynn looked back to Josie, her eyebrow raised. "What are you talking about?"

"Last season you blew a 3-0 lead against the Daisies because of a hunch."

"We won that season." Lynn countered. "Explain that."

"Good offense and base running. Especially in the finals against the Lions. Your pitching had nothing to do with it."

"I can do this." Lynn said with a smile. "All game long if I have to. Trust me."

"And Grady Little thought Pedro could do it all game long too. Look how that worked out." Josie stated.

Lynn got over her surprise as she felt her face get hot. "Go check the bats." She ordered.

"Why?" Josie asked. "I'm a pitcher."

"Because I told you so."

Margo just looked at Josie, who just shrugged before walking off to dutifully check the equipment, whistling a song as she did. Margo shot Lynn a worried glance. "Lynn, are you sure about this?"

Lynn forced a smile as she chirped, "Yep. We are gonna rock this town."

Margo nodded, hesitantly. "Okay, it's just…"

Lynn raised her eyebrow. "What?"

"You seem kinda…"

"Awesome?" Lynn asked with a smile.

"Anxious." Margo finished. "Like there's something wrong. There isn't, is there?"

Lynn automatically shook her head. "I'm fine. Never better. And you know why?"

"'Cuz you're number one." Margo said under her breath. "But… You know, if you ever wanna talk, I'm right here Lynn-sanity."

Lynn shook her head. "Nah. I'm cool."

"Okay." Margo said quietly. "I'm just gonna…" Margo turned to walk towards the shower room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lynn yelled after her.

Margo pointed at the restroom. "I was just gonna..."

But Lynn turned her around and put both hands on her shoulders. "No! Margo, bad! Remember?"

"But I…"

"Did you hear a word I said? No number twos until we're number one."

"Let her go, man." Said one of the team.

Lynn pulled Margo by her collar until her nose was rubbing on Margo's. "You don't have to go, do you?" She said with a massive grin.

Margo was scared; whenever Lynn started glaring at her it always made her nervous. There was always something disconcerting in Lynn's venom-green eyes when she got angry. Margo had only ever seen that fanatical glint on Lynn's worst days, and that was all that she could see at that moment. It left her so scared that all she could do was nod quickly. "Okay, alright. Just answer one thing," Margo said hesitantly. "Just tell me you're okay."

Lynn smiled. "I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I'm ready to finish this season."

"Okay."

Lynn nodded. "Good. Now all you need to do is play how I say, and we can have fun." She playfully smacked Margo's cheek, but Margo was too scared to notice. Lynn just left her and turned to the rest of the team. "If you all do what I tell you to, we are going to have so much fun later you are going to puke." She smiled. "But that's only gonna happen if we all play our best, and don't mess it up. I can count on you all to do your best, right?"

The team collectively nodded, half in agreement and half in fear. "Alright bozos, take a knee."

* * *

 _Elsewhere…_

 _"Hey Luna."_

 _"Bro, where you at? Dad's asking questions."_

 _"Look, can you make something up? I'm gonna be a while, and I don't know if my signal's gonna hold out."_

 _"Where are you?"_

 _"Someplace called Reverie Road. Look, just keep the folks off my back, and I'll call you next chance I get."_

 _"Bro, you sure…"_

 _"Luna, I can handle this. Just trust me."_

 _"Okay. I'll come up with some excuse. How about extra study time?"_

 _"Fine by me. Look, my signal's getting worse so…"_

 _"Seeya, bro."_

Lincoln put away his phone and cleared his throat. "For a quick news update, it's been twenty minutes since I saw a car, and twenty-five minutes since I saw another person." He laughed nervously, in a vain attempt to distract himself from his surroundings. Reverie Road had once been a residential street, but it had clearly been abandoned since long before Lincoln was born. He walked through overgrown lots where houses had never been built and in between houses that showed up to thirty years of misuse and decay. Lincoln hitched up his backpack and stepped back onto the road, not that it was much of an improvement. It was cracked and had chunks missing, and the sidewalks had large amounts of weeds and grass growing unchecked between the tiles. The wind was coming in harder and colder now; it came in as a steady drone that threatened to block out the distant sound of traffic on I-75, the only comforting thing there was in that neighborhood. Not helping Lincoln's sense of foreboding was the strange feeling of déjà vu gnawing at the back of his mind.

But still he walked onwards. It was as he passed a teal-colored house had obviously been through a fire that he finally saw something which made him stop in his tracks. "Holy cow, I have been here before." At the end of the street, sitting along a dirt road that marked the end of that neighborhood, was a Tudor-style building at the end of a rocky path. "Yeah, that's that haunted groundskeeper's place." Lincoln said with an uncertain laugh. Even more cautiously he approached the aging building, which was almost black in the dull light of day. The grass was green, unlike on his last visit, which made the building somehow look even darker. "Because that's not scary." Lincoln said as he got closer to the aged iron fence that surrounded the graveyard. He looked to the closed gate. On it was a sign that said:

THIS BUILDING HAS BEEN CONDEMNED

NO ENTRY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED

He tried to push the gate open, but it was thoroughly chained shut with a bright silver padlock. Lincoln settled for sticking his head through the bars to get a better look at the building. He could just see the orange barrier in front of the doorway, but the door seemed to be missing. "Lucy! Hey! If you're in there, please tell me! I really, really don't want you to scare me again! Please, not here!"

Nothing.

He tried to pull his head out from between the bars of the fence, only to receive an unpleasant surprise. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get his head past the bars again. He had somehow wedged his head between the bars so well he couldn't get out. "Oh, great." He groaned as he tried his best to pull at the bars. As his struggled to pull the bars apart like Superman, he failed to notice somebody softly clearing her throat behind him, and he only realized someone was there when he felt a small hand on his back. "Ah! Groundskeeper Jim!" He squealed.

"Sorry Lincoln." Said Lucy.

Lincoln took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Hey, Lucy. Sorry about that. Could you help me out?"

"I noticed. Have you tried turning your head?"

Lincoln stood stock still, then sighed, turned his head to the right, and then popped his head out from between the bars. "Let's uh… Let's keep this between us, okay? I don't think Lori will ever let me forget this if she finds out." He rubbed the sore spots on his neck where the fence had ground into it. "Thanks, Lucy."

Lucy pulled her books closer to her chest. "It's no big deal, as Ace Savvy would say."

He smiled. "Yeah. He would."

"What took you?" She asked.

Lincoln's mouth fell open, confusedly. "That was four miles, Lucy."

Her shoulders fell, "You walked?"

He nodded, "Yeah. How'd you get here?"

"I… I got a ride." The two stared at each other for a second as the realization set in.

Lincoln started laughing. "Well, I guess that would've made things easier." Lucy just walked along the fence. Lincoln followed her to a trench that someone had dug beneath the fence, just large enough for a preteen to squeeze through. "You're not thinking of going in there, are you?"

"I've gone in there before." Lucy stated as she slid her books and backpack under the fence. "And I won't get another chance." She got down and crawled through the dirt under the fence, picking herself up on the other side. Lincoln just took a large breath of the slightly musty air, and followed her. He shoved his backpack through first and emerged on the other side with dirt on his clothes, and he saw Lucy already walking towards the groundskeeper's house.

She'd stopped by the doorstep and was solemnly looking inside. Lincoln could see a small pile of junk in the shadows just past the threshold. "Lucy, what happened this morning?" Lucy didn't say anything, but she opened her poetry book. Lincoln was about to ask again until she handed the book to him. He looked down and read:

 _Why?_

 _Why am I surprised?_

 _You've been like this so long_

 _You smile when you mock me_

 _Because to you nothing's wrong_

Lincoln looked up to see Lucy curled up on the front step of the house next to her backpack, the slightly worn soles of her small black shoes plain for him to see as she looked at the book in her lap. The cover said it was a collection of works by Emily Dickinson. "Lucy, what did Lynn say to you?" He asked as he laid his backpack down next to hers.

She didn't look up, but she said, "I don't want to repeat it."

He went to sit next to her, his right shoulder lightly brushing hers. "Lucy, what did Lynn say?"

"She called me a freak."

Lincoln sat with his mouth open. He took his time, running through all the things to say, before settling on, "Lucy, she didn't mean it."

"You don't get it either."

"I do. But, you know, she didn't say it to hurt you."

"That's not the problem. When she said that, I heard every single person who's ever bullied me or my friends. It's the same thing they say." She trembled as she spoke. "They all call me a freak or a zombie. They're always joking about calling the undertaker to put me in the ground where I belong." She turned to look at him. "And I realized something. If we didn't live in the same room, if we weren't related, and we just passed each other on the streets, she'd be one of them."

"Lucy," He said softly, "Lynn loves you. She doesn't want you to change."

"She doesn't care. If she does, then why does she keep saying that it's my fault when I get upset?" She took in another breath, "Why is it that whenever she mocks me she just tells me that I 'just don't get it' or that I'm 'always Miss Doom-and-Gloom or the Queen of the Dead and Boring?'" Lucy pulled her arms close to her chest and took a moment to quietly think. Just as Lincoln was about to say something, she asked, "Remember when I kicked her out of our room?"

"Yeah."

"That's why. She was talking about something, I think it was about toothpaste, and she said that she wanted to use it first because she didn't want to end up like me, just in case depression is contagious. She said it's be fine if I stayed number one in the gloomy weirdo competition." Lincoln didn't say anything, so Lucy kept talking. "I asked her to apologize, she didn't. I tried to tell her how that made me feel, but she wouldn't listen. She just started going on about how I should learn how to smile and take a joke." Lucy sighed. "She always says that the funniest thing about me is," She took a deep breath in and said, in an impression of Lynn's voice that made Lincoln shiver, "'You know, you'd think somebody who got her name from a sitcom would have a sense of humor.'"

Lincoln didn't say anything until Lucy's trembling had subsided. "Lucy, are you sure it's that bad? I mean…"

"You didn't read what I wrote, did you?"

"Yeah, I did, but…"

"And she never apologized. I don't even remember how we made up, but I know she never even said sorry. She just laughed it off and forgot about it. She never saw how I felt. I've lived in the same room since I can remember, and she's never noticed. And after all this time I realized… Lincoln..." She took a deep breath, "I hate her. I hate that stupid grin she has on her face whenever she thinks she's beat me at something. I hate how she thinks she's so awesome all the time, and how she can't shut her mouth for more than ten seconds. I hate how she always tries to get me to flinch at something just to annoy me. But most of all, I hate how she makes me feel. I don't want to hate her, I don't want to, I just want her to stop."

There was silence between them as they both ran through their thoughts. Lincoln took the opportunity to finish Lucy's poem. Once he finished, Lincoln set the book down beside him and asked her, "Lucy, did you tell her how you feel?"

"I was clear enough."

"Lucy, did you tell her?" He asked, but Lucy shook her head. "Well, maybe you should tell her how…"

Lucy stood up and out of his one-armed hug. "I told you, she never listens. Remember when we tried to teach her how to lose?"

Lincoln nodded dejectedly from his spot on the step. "I didn't forget."

"How long did that last?"

Lincoln sighed. "A week, I think."

"She was still bragging that day."

"Just not to our faces." He finished.

"And then there was the bad luck week."

Lincoln shuddered again as he looked to the ground. "Yeah, I know."

She walked towards him, stepped around him, and slid past the barrier to get inside the house. Lincoln got to his feet and followed her inside. Lincoln was ready for it to be scary, but instead his heart sank even further. The building had been totally gutted. The wallpaper was still peeling and the floorboards still creaked, but the furniture was all gone, the cobwebbed chandelier that had once hung in the center of the room was lying in pieces on the floor, and the walls were bare of paintings and mirrors, with only faded outlines where they used to be. The place was less like a haunted house and more of a ghost of its former self. Lucy was looking at the broken chandelier that was lying in the center of the floor.

Lincoln took a step closer, and said, "She might feel bad if you just tell her. She's… you know, kinda dense." Lucy snorted. "But if you make it clear how much this means to you…"

"She felt bad about being a bad sport too. And she felt bad about locking you out of the house. She always feels bad for five minutes. But five minutes later everything's the same again. What happens tomorrow?"

"Lucy…" Lincoln said as he took another step towards her.

"Do you like it when she roughhouses you?" She asked.

"What?" Lincoln asked.

She turned to look at him. "Do you enjoy it when she wrestles you? Or punches you?"

Lincoln thought for a moment. "Not really. But…"

"And have you ever asked her to stop?"

"Yeah, of course."

"And does she?"

"Lucy, she's my sister too. And she just does it to show how much she loves us."

"So, she pummels you out of love?" Lucy said bitterly. "She gives you Dutch ovens every week because she cares about you? Does your heart swoon when she beats the snot out of you whenever we go on a road trip and she gets bored? Is love supposed to involve bruises, Lincoln?"

There was silence hanging with the dust in the air as Lincoln ran through all his oldest memories, then the recent memories with his youngest older sister. He pushed passed all the years-old nostalgia and looked at the way things were, not what they had been. It took a moment for the truth to settle in his gut. He remembered the night he swore to always be there for her, but he remembered the bruises far clearer. But most of all he remembered how cold it was that night he had to sleep outside. All he could do was look at the ground and dejectedly say, "No, I don't like it."

Lucy turned to look at him. He was disappointed when all he saw was her bangs. As is if she knew what he was thinking, she brushed a hand through her hair and pushed her bangs aside. Lincoln's breath hitched. Even in the shadows beneath her bangs, he could still make out a glint of sky blue. The same sky blue that was in his eyes. She looked right back at him for only a second before she brushed her bangs back.

Then she spoke, her voice low, but clear. "Lincoln, even if she loves us, she can't understand how we feel. She just does what she does, and she doesn't even notice who she hurts while she does it."

Lincoln shrugged. "I know she loves us, she's just a bit rough around the edges."

"I'm sick of it."

"What?"

She looked up at him and Lincoln could feel her glare. "I am sick of it – and I am sick of her." She turned and walked past the chandelier.

"Lucy. Come on." Lincoln begged.

But Lucy left out the back door, which was barely on its hinges. He followed her into the backyard. It was overgrown to the point where the grass was almost as tall as he was, but he could still see the part in the dry brush where she'd just walked. He followed it until he found her standing in front of a gravestone next to a withered garden, her eyes on the ground, motionless. Lincoln stepped around her and gave the gravestone a quick look:

 **James Harrow & Halia Harrow**

 **1905-1942 1908-2004**

 **Beloved husband & wife**

 **Separated far too soon**

"You've known her longer than me." Lucy said, much to Lincoln's surprise.

"What?"

"I just want to know," Lucy said as she turned to face him, "was she always like this?"

Lincoln didn't know how to answer at first, but after a second, "Lucy, I don't see…"

"You always defend her. You let her do these things to you, and you just told me you don't enjoy it, but you still love her. There has to be a… Lincoln, are you okay?"

Lucy could almost see the feelings in his eyes, but she couldn't feel the memories like he did. The memories of that rainy night six years prior were still dancing in his mind. He'd never told anybody of that night, and how it made him feel when he remembered it. Despite everything that had happened that day, he didn't feel like baring that to anybody else. He shook his head as he said, "No. She wasn't." Lucy's mouth fell open as he looked at the ground. "I made her a promise, I wouldn't ever let anything between us. I told her that if she ever wanted me…"

"You'd be there for her." Lucy finished. "You just didn't know who she'd turn into."

Lincoln sighed. "I try. But sometimes… It's so frustrating. It's like she's trying to push me away. And I can't help but wonder…"

"Why you even try anymore?"

"She was so beautiful…" Lincoln thought out loud. Lucy gazed at him, her mouth slightly open. Lincoln cleared his throat. "Lucy, I still want to tell her." She didn't move. "Lucy?"

"I'll never hear the end of it. It'll be like with that stupid book all over again."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we could tell everybody about that too."

"Is that going to help somehow?"

"Lucy, our sisters, they're not monsters. We just need to tell them how it makes you feel."

She looked back at him before returning her gaze to the ground. "And Lynn?" He paused, and that was all she needed. "If Lynn finds out she won't stop. She'll just keep going and going, the same way she always does." Her voice was starting to crack. "She can't help it; she just keeps going and going just because she…"

Lincoln interrupted her by pulling her into a hug. "Lucy, I'll be there. I'll help you no matter what. I'll tell everyone myself if you want. But they need to know. Burying how you feel, it just isn't helping anymore." He pulled out of the hug and gazed into her eyes. "If you don't do this today it'll just feel so much worse later. Everyone needs to know how this hurts you, 'cuz we all care about you. Especially Lynn." He shrugged, "Besides, if she ever gets too bad, you can always sleep in my bed tonight."

She smiled lightly. "I think I'd rather have Lynn go sleep in the closet."

Lincoln saw a glimmer of levity and seized it. He laughed. "Actually, yeah. Why didn't I just sleep in Lynn's bed that time?"

"The smell, the sweat, the drool."

"Oh, right." He smiled back at her. "We'll think about that later. But Lucy…" Lincoln shook his head and swept her bangs aside. She squinted at the light, but Lincoln saw that her sky blues still glowed behind copious mascara and the bags under her eyes. "I swear to you that I will never make fun of you for what you like, or for how you feel. And I will never call you a weirdo or a zombie, or especially a freak. And I keep my word."

"I don't know what to do."

"I know that if you keep this up, someday it's just gonna blow up on you. I'd never forgive myself if that happened." He cupped her cheek. "I know you think death is all peaceful and stuff, but…"

"There's a finality to it. It's the one thing we all can take comfort in knowing will happen."

"But that doesn't mean I want to bury you."

She looked back down, but a moment later she looked at him, and didn't break his gaze. "If Lynn finds out how I feel…"

"The worst that'll happen is she keeps doing what she always does, but if we say nothing, that'll happen anyway so…" He shrugged. Lucy didn't say anything, but after several seconds she nodded. Lincoln smiled. "We can do this whenever you want."

"I want you to be there." She looked down. "I can't do this by myself." She leaned in closer, put a pale hand on his shirt, and whispered one word into his ear, "Please."

"I won't leave." He pulled her back into another hug. At that moment he had a small flash of recollection. Two words said to him years back by a sister who had promised to always be there with him, the same sister that started that whole mess. "Never ever."

Lucy didn't say a thing, she just wrapped her arms around her big brother's waist and rested her head on his shoulder. He could just feel her let out a long, content sigh. Lincoln smiled; it was a warm, subtle sort of smile that came over his face without thinking as he felt her warmth through his shirt. Right then and there, on a cold gray afternoon, as the wind rustled through the overgrown grass around them, Lucy felt as far from cold and lifeless as it was possible to be. But it had to end sometime, and it ended when Lincoln gave Lucy a pat on the back of the head, "We should get home."

Lucy pulled back, "I suppose we need to go and face the cold, heartless world once more." She looked up at the sky. "Sigh."

He looked up at the sky as well. "We can probably get home before curfew if we walk fast. I know the way back." He walked around the house and back to the front steps, where they picked up their things still lying where they'd left them.

"Thank you, Lincoln." She said as he passed her books to her when he was on the other side of the fence.

He looked in her eyes, which were still visible since her bangs were still swept. "Hey, don't mention it." He said as she crawled under the fence.

As she shouldered her bag she repeated, "No. Thank you, Lincoln, for all of this."

He shrugged as he looked down at the dirt on his clothes. "What are brothers for?" He turned to walk down the dirt road in the direction of home. After a few minutes, he said, "I should probably call Luna and tell her I found you. She's probably calling the cops." He held out his phone. "No bars. Figures. I guess Luna will just have to keep her shirt on."

"She's doubtlessly having a conniption as we speak." He turned and was surprised, but happy, to see Lucy following him with her books still clutched close to her chest.

"I guess we're walking." He said jokingly as he foisted his bag onto his shoulder.

"I'm fine with that."

"Yeah." He turned forwards, but quickly looked back. "By the way, have you ever seen The Crow?"

"Just pieces on TV. Mom said it was too violent. I listen to the score though."

Lincoln turned forwards. "Good music?"

"Haunting."

"Good. So, we'll talk to Lynn after her victory party?"

"Yes."

He laughed. "Actually, she'll probably be in such a good mood that she won't even think of anything mean to say to you." Lincoln said as he tried to get just one bar. Lucy took a moment to take one final look at the decayed Americana that lined the once lively street, as well as the soon-to-be demolished groundskeeper's house. She silently said goodbye and brushed her hair back down over her eyes.

* * *

 _Royal Woods Community Theater_ _… Again…_

"No! No!" The director squealed as he walked up to Toby, who stood center stage with the script in his hands. "You're not doing as I say."

"Mr. Terl, I'm doing my best." Toby said unenthusiastically.

"Well you need to do as I say. Now, repeat after me." He cleared his throat and held his fist out like he was holding on to an invisible goblet. "A plague – on – both – your houses!" He announced as unsubtly as possible, thrusting his chest forwards and yelling towards the ceiling, causing everyone, including Luan and Benny, who were watching from stage right, to quietly snicker.

"Sir, are you absolutely sure you understand what this is supposed to sound like?"

Mr. Terl looked melodramatically offended at Toby's comment. Benny leaned over and whispered in Luan's ear, "Here we go."

"I – have been trained," He said loud enough to echo across the room, whilst throwing his hand into the air again, "to act on the grand stage – for kings and queens! I – was groomed – from birth – to embody the soul of a character – in a performance."

One of the other players quickly spoke up. "That's great sir, but we're out of time today! I think we've all got things to do."

Mr. Terl looked over at the clock. "Alright then, we're done – for today! Go have your fun, but if you're not back here on Wednesday for the dress rehearsal – I'll have a special surprise for you all!" The director said before laughing dramatically. After he stopped and noticed that everyone was flatly staring at him, he made his exit. Everyone spread out from their spots; several left the theatre immediately, a few went backstage, and some stayed to discuss the play amongst themselves. Luan sat down by the edge of the stage and pulled her shoe off to give her aching sole a rub. She'd been standing for an hour and she still had more to do before she could go home and sit down.

"Hey, Lu, you okay?" Benny said as he sat down next to her.

"Just dealing with some sole pains." She said with a laugh.

"Hey, you know, if I could just…" He extended his hands.

"Uh, okay." She pulled her leg into his lap. She couldn't help but blush when Benny laid fingers on her sock, but all her embarrassment vanished the moment he started to massage her.

"How's this?" He asked as he pressed his fingers onto her foot. She didn't say anything, closed her eyes and let out a long, low moan. "I'll take that as you saying you like?"

"Mm-hm." She hummed as he cheeks flushed red like a hot stovetop.

"You were really good today."

"Thanks. You were amazing."

"Get a room, would you?" Said Toby from across the stage.

Benny looked over at him, "We've got one. You're sitting in it."

Toby just shook his head. "You two…" He turned to everyone else. "C'mon guys, let's leave these two lovebirds alone."

The rest of the cast approved and bid them farewell before filing out towards backstage, leaving Benny and Luan alone. After a minute of slightly awkward silence, Benny asked, "You want me to do the other one?" She made a vague noise of approval and shifted to let him work on her other foot. He'd just taken off her shoe when they both simultaneously turned to look each other in the eyes.

"Hey…" They said in unison, before quickly stopping. "Jinx!" They chorused before collapsing into giggles.

He turned away in embarrassment, "I was just wondering, you know, you might want to get a coffee or something."

"I'd love to." Luan said with a content smile.

Benny nodded. "Your feet okay?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said as she adjusted her flower.

"Alright then." He stood up and held out his hand to help Luan up. Luan blushed again, put her shoes back on, and took his hand to pull herself up. The two went to their bags to pack up their scripts and they left by the same exit. "It's just down here." He said as he pointed down the street.

As she followed him, she tripped over something, but she was able to stop herself from falling. Benny hadn't noticed, so she took the opportunity to run up an grasp his hand, which made him turn to her in surprise. "So we won't get separated." She said with a smile.

He nodded in agreement and led her down the street. The walk wasn't a long one, and in less than five minutes they were walking towards the local diner. Benny had been unusually quiet since she'd put her hand in his, so Luan, desperate for conversation, spoke up. "Actually, I'm not sure I've been here."

Benny shot her a quick look. "Really? I thought you would've been in there once. It's a hangout for local talent, see?" He pointed through one of the windows.

Luan peered inside, and she could see three of their costars sitting in a corner booth, all reviewing their scripts while discussing amongst themselves. "I've seriously never been here before."

"Maybe it's the name." Benny said as he pointed upwards at the marquee.

She looked up and her brow furrowed. "Couldn't they come up with anything better than Eat/Diner/Coffee shop? Sounds like the Hulk came up with it."

Benny shrugged. "My dad's a copyright attorney, and he says it used to be called Nighthawk's. He said there's a dispute, or something, over the name. But everyone I know just calls it that anyways."

They approached the door, and both moved to open it, with Luan getting there first. "Allow me." She said with a smile as she pulled the door open, inside they could hear laid-back hip-hop playing over the loudspeakers.

Benny shot her a smile of his own and entered; Luan quickly followed. "You wanna sit down?" He asked. She nodded, and the two moved to the closest open booth. "I'll get you a latte, that alright?" Benny asked as he wiped away a few stray crumbs on their table.

"Why not? I've already had a latte on my mind all day." She laughed. "Get it?"

"Yeah, I get it." As they waited for a server, Luan was debating in her mind. It was only after they put in their orders that she finally got up the nerve to ask the question burning at her heart for weeks. "Hey, you know…" He looked at her, and with that she felt her nerve start to ebb away. Nevertheless, she said, "We've been spending so much time together, and we're in this play, and I was just thinking that, maybe we could… you know… make it official?" He blinked at her but didn't say anything. She nervously folded her hands on the table in front of her. "You know, just to help the play? Make it more convincing and all?"

He still didn't say anything. In the pause Luan felt the embarrassment rise in her gut, she turned away and was just about to tell him to forget she'd even spoken when she felt a soft hand slide around hers. She looked at Benny, who had a knowing smile on his face. "That sounds – superlative." He said as he gave her hand a squeeze.

Luan felt all the tension of the past several months just fade away to be replaced with pure happiness. She grinned, showing off her braces as she asked. "You like me?"

He nodded. "I think you're the funniest person, guy or girl, I've ever known."

"Aww. Thanks." She said with flushed cheeks.

"And you like Shakespeare."

"How could I not? He can be really punny. Like that bit about Mercutio being a grave man, and he's the guy who kicks the bucket."

Benny nodded. "Back then punning was a sign of wittiness."

"I never asked, what's your favorite?" She asked. "Favorite Shakespeare, I mean?"

Benny thought for a second. "I always liked Hamlet."

She laughed. "I wonder if we're ever going to do that one."

He shook his head frantically. "No. No. God no. I don't want Mr. Terl to get anywhere near that." He shuddered. "I don't want to know what he could do to it."

Luan grinned, and she held up her free hand. "To be," She began as over-dramatically as possible.

"Stop!" He begged.

"Or not – to be!" She finished with a laugh. "Well, couldn't get through that with a straight face."

"You're evil." He said with a grin of his own.

"I know." She said as she put her hand down "So, which Shakespeare play do you think I'd like."

"Much Ado About Nothing. I can just tell."

"I'll check that one out." She said just as she noticed the redhead waitress that was next to them.

"O-M-Goodness you are so adorable!" She squealed.

Luan followed the waitress's gaze to see that they were still holding hands. He blushed and was about to pull away, but Luan didn't let his hand go. She simply smiled at the waitress and said, "Two lattes."

The waitress wrote the order down and looked up at them. "Tell you what, how 'bout a piece of cake, on the house?"

Benny nodded. "Chocolate?"

The waitress wrote down his order. "And you, hon?"

Luan thought for a second. "You got carrot cake?"

"Comin' right up." The waitress said with a quick scribble as she walked off.

The conversation stayed on Shakespeare even after their coffee and dessert arrived, were eaten, and paid for. It was only until they were out the door that things shifted in gear.

"He baked her sons into a pie and made her eat them?" Luan asked as they left.

Benny smiled. "Yeah. It's weird. They actually cast Anthony Hopkins in the movie version, just to make it even more obvious."

Luan stopped walking and shook her head in disbelief. "I don't know. Sounds like a real can 'o bull if you ask me." She said while looking at him.

Benny turned to look at her and laughed. "It's actually kind of amazing. Some people think it's a parody of…"

But Luan interrupted him by pulling his head close to hers and kissing him. It wasn't particularly long, or deep, but it was enough to set Luan's heart flying and Benny's collar blazing. She looked right into his big brown eyes for a moment before quickly looking down at her hand on his chest. "I hope you don't mind."

He put one hand on her bare shoulder and brought the other up to wrap his fingers around hers. "Not one bit." He grinned. "I've got a great idea." He started off briskly towards the local park.

"Where're we going?" She asked bemusedly.

"We can just catch the last inning of today's game!" He said. Luan nodded absentmindedly as he started leading her into the park. "I can say hi to my sister!" Benny said back at her as they neared the baseball field.

That caused Luan to stop moving, which nearly caused Benny to fall back onto her. "I can't go there."

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

"It can't be that bad. Besides, we're already here."

She shook her head. "I really shouldn't. My sister, she'll kill me."

"Your sister's on the team?" He asked. "We can say hi to her too. I'd love to meet your family."

"No, you wouldn't. Trust me. Please. Let's go do something else."

He shook his head. "I want to see my sister. I want to see if she likes you."

She looked down at the ground in shame. "You don't know my sister."

He stepped forward and put his hand on her chin. "Hey, I'll be right here. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

Luan thought for a second. "Well, I guess if they've got it in the bag… If it'd make you happy… We could stop by just to see how they're doing."

Benny smiled and took her hand again. "Come on. We need to see if the Squirrels are gonna win it this year."

"They'd better." Luan said under her breath. "Or Lynn's gonna go absolutely nuts."

* * *

 **Kinda choppy, but I've got a lot to set up with this.** **And yes, it is a two parter, but chapter three will be out quicker than chapter two. Really, I wanted to get this out a couple days back, but I'm heavily revising a later chapter, which meant I had to change things in this one.**

 **To answer nyr's questions: Lynn and Lincoln are 6-7 & 4-5 receptively in the prologue, I meant to imply the twins weren't born yet. The quote from the author's notes was my way of saying that I'm not going to pull my punches regarding characters' negative traits. They're going to get solved, which means they're not going to be ignored.**

 **Thanks again for the support, and** **I hope you lot like baseball.**

 **Listening to: _The Red_ by _Chevelle_**


	4. Avalanche, Pt 2

**Author's Notes: Not gonna lie, I'm nervous. And it's not just because of this chapter. After all the feedback and all the follows I got from the last one, I realized I was putting myself in a very tough spot.** _  
_

 **I've read more than a few _What Is a Person Worth?_ comparisons, and going up against that caliber of story does make me nervous.**

 **But besides that, here's part 2, where the title really fits.**

 **Also, I forgot to mention in the last chapter, I'm calling it here: Sam's brother is gonna be the Bratty Kid from Cereal Offender.**

 **So, with that out of the way...**

 **Play ball!**

* * *

 _Royal Woods Baseball Stadium…_

The first thing that struck Luan when they entered the stadium was just how empty it was. Almost half the seats were vacant, which made it easy for Benny to steer her to a seat right at the front, which offered the couple a fine view of the field. Luan had no plans on enjoying it too much, as she was trying her best to keep her face hidden.

"We're here at the bottom of the eighth now with one out, and the Squirrels are apparently having another debate in their dugout." Said the cheerful voice of one of the announcers. "It's been a weird match today folks."

"Sure, Buck." The deadpan co-host replied as Luan threw her bag between her legs, slouched back, crossed her arms and groaned. This wasn't quite how she imagined her first day as Benny's girlfriend.

"C'mon Pep, that's not too bad, right? Anyways, at bat for the Squirrels is Joselyn Philips. Two strikes and two balls under her belt, and the debate seems to be spilling onto the field."

Luan grew tense as the team played. To top it off, it was at that point she heard a familiar voice on the field. "Hey, are you slacking? 'Cuz if you are…" Yelled Lynn from the sidelines.

"I'm a pitcher!" Josie replied from halfway across the field. "What do you want?"

Luan tried to distract herself by looking up at the gray afternoon clouds, but she kept one ear on her sister as the game progressed. Luan shifted in her seat as Pep announced, "And Philips goes bye-bye after a straight shot from Clark."

"Pitiful!" Lynn shouted from the field.

"I did my best!" Josie retorted.

"Well," Lynn began, "Maybe your best isn't enough. You are not screwing this up today."

The cheerful announcer started speaking after that. "After a brief kerfuffle, it's Lynn Loud up to bat, who's running the second highest batting average this season. What do you think Pep?"

"I think you just used the word kerfuffle in a professional context." The sardonic commentator replied.

"Well Pep, Foxes' best pitcher versus the Squirrels best power slugger. That's gotta be worth something."

"Yeah, a really long play."

"Anyway, the pitch, and it's outside, but she swings, so it's a strike."

Luan squirmed as the game kept going. "Winding up," Pep began only for a loud crack to interrupt him, "Huh, she hit it. Go figure."

"Three-one as Loud nails it outta the park!" Buck cheered. "The Squirrels aren't dead yet, folks!"

"That's how you do it!" Luan heard Lynn shout from on-field.

"Anyways, next in the lineup is Isabella Hanna." Said Pep.

Benny stood up and threw his fist in the air. "Go get 'em sis!"

The commentators noticed. "And it looks like we've got family in the stands. Isn't that sweet Pep?"

"I wouldn't know, I haven't seen my family in five years." Pep snarked.

"Hey, cheer up buddy, you got me!" Buck said. Luan could almost hear the elbow nudge that Buck was undoubtedly giving him.

Pep continued unabated. "So, lining up for the pitch."

Benny sat back down and looked down at the still slouching Luan. "Hey Lu, you're not lying down on me are you?" He asked cheerfully.

She shook her head. "I don't want my sister to see me."

Benny looked back at the field. As he did Luan heard the pitch and the crack of a bat. Benny looked back at her. "Which one is she?"

"Line drive!" She heard Buck say, "To Chen at Shotstop, then bck to first to close the inning."

"Are you freaking kidding me? Out on two pitches? This is ridiculous!" She heard Lynn yell.

"Hey!" Isabella Hanna shouted. "That pitcher's dynamite!"

"Thanks!" Shouted someone else, presumably the pitcher.

"I could've hit those things blindfolded!" Lynn continued ranting. "Maybe you're just not up to it today."

"Hey," Yelled Benny, " Stop yelling at my sister!"

"Hey, you're not helping!" Lynn retorted. "So shut it!"

"Why don't you? If you can!" Luan closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable onslaught.

Instead she just heard a massively frustrated groan from the field. 'Oh, go shove a corndog…" Luan heard Lynn say as her voice faded into the distance.

"There seems to be some problem in the Squirrels' ranks today. Any thoughts Pep?" Said Buck.

"Nope." Replied Pep. From out on the field, Luan heard Lynn groan once more. "And Loud is marching off field. We move into the final, the Ferndale Foxes have an 3-1 lead on the Royal Woods Squirrels. Next inning begins in five minutes."

"That'll show her." Benny said with a smile. "Obnoxious harpy." He looked back at her. "Now, where's your sister?" She gave him a knowing look and a nervous smile. It took twelve seconds for him to get the point. His face fell, and he said, "So…"

"Yep."

He looked back at the field. "I'm sorry I…"

"Don't be."

"Well, she's gone, you can sit up now." Luan pulled herself up and looked around as several people left to go get snacks or go to the restroom. Benny stood up too, and waved at someone on-field "Hey sis!" Luan moved to sit up slightly, but the sight of brown hair was enough to make her shrink back on instinct alone.

"Hey, you, Mr. Big Famous Actor! Could I have your autograph?" said a rather self-satisfied voice from the field.

"Very funny. I got somebody you're gonna want to meet. Bella, say hi to Luan!" He gave her a nudge and helped pull her up to face a brown-haired girl with a smile that matched her voice who was wearing a navy blue uniform.

"Uh, hi." Luan said with a meek wave of her hand.

Bella looked her over. "So, you threw the pie at my bro?"

Luan looked to Benny in worry, but he put his hands up defensively. "Bel, it's fine, okay?"

She smiled. "You don't know how long I wanted to do that to him." Luan nodded, to Benny's embarrassment. Bella's smirk widened slightly. "Well bro, you finally did it."

"Did what?"

She smiled even wider. "You found a girl who actually likes mimes as much as you do."

Luan lightly smiled in return. "I'd like to think I'm more of a comedienne."

Bella crossed her arms "Know any good jokes, Pie Girl? We need 'em."

Luan quickly looked around the field. "Hey, where's Lynn? Shouldn't she be on the field somewhere?"

She looked back to see Bella giving her a stern look. "For the love of god, don't say her name around me right now."

Luan cocked her head in confusion. "Where is she?""

Bella shook her head. "She's in the can, again." She sighed. "Excuse me, I need to rant for a minute."

Benny put a reassuring grip on her arm. "Here we go."

Bella inhaled. "Ever since we arrived she was complaining." She pulled at her shirt. "About this, about that, and of course this! We're supposed to be wearing red, but for some reason she thinks that red's the devil's color or something. So we strip it from our clothes, then our gear, then we can't even say it, or spell it out, or even think about it!"

Luan shrugged. "I like yellow more."

Bella shook her head. "But whatever thing she thinks it'll do, it isn't. We've been behind all game long, and I'm getting really sick and tired of all of this good luck baloney. And I'm not alone."

"I'm sure it's not that bad." Said Benny.

Bella shook her head. "Oh, it is. She's been telling every single one of us what to do all game long. It's ridiculous, it's like she thinks we haven't even seen a game of softball before. Like we haven't, you know, played a whole season together. She seems to think she's on a team full of shit flinging monkeys."

"Is that language necessary?" Benny asked.

"Benny, I'm not exaggerating. I mean real shit. As in shit of the literal, brown variety that makes everything smell." Bella pointed to the field. "You see the girl on first with the nose and the buck teeth? She's been clenching for the whole game because Loudmouth won't let us go drop one."

Benny shook his head. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

Luan just sighed. "Yeah, she gets like that."

Bella turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Hold up, you know her?"

Luan nodded as she nervously adjusted her flower. "She's my sister."

Bella scowled. "How are you still alive?"

Luan shrugged. "Just lucky."

"My condolences."

"What can I say?" Luan said with a small smile. "She's lucked in the head."

* * *

 _Meanwhile, in the Restroom…_

Lynn walked right to the sink, turned it on cold, took her cap off, and shoved her head underneath the water stream, just as she'd done a half-dozen times already. _'Damn that feels nice.'_ She thought. _'I don't know why I've been so warm today. But I'm so glad this helps.'_ She sighed contently. _'Actually, I think I started playing waterfall when Linky and I used to take baths.'_ As she ran her hands through her wet hair her mind started to drift. _'That was… what, six years back? Maybe seven? It was back when we were in our room.'_

Then, just as she finished that thought, she heard a small voice in the back of her mind that wasn't hers. It said, _"Faster Lynn! Come on!"_

 _"I'm going as fast as we can!"_ Said another voice, similar, but just a smidge higher in pitch.

 _"Go for it!"_

 _"Charge!"_

She pulled her head out of the falling water. _'That's it! That's the thing I was trying to remember last night. What was it?_ She closed her eyes, but the more she tried to remember, the less she remembered. _'C'mon, what was it? Me and Lincoln, doing something. Must've been a while ago, back before I got on…'_ But with that, her mind was back on target. Her teeth ground together as she glared at her reflection. _'What are you doing? This game's not over. You're standing here, trying to remember crap that happened years ago when you've got a game to win.'_ She stood up straight and huffed at her reflection. _'Come on, pull yourself together. Game face. You're too big to kick shit. Now, let's do this.'_ She flung the door open and marched out onto the field, pulling her cap on.

Back in the stands, Luan heard the two announcers giving their pre-inning thoughts, as usual, but she wasn't paying attention to them. Her attention was on Lynn. "You're not gonna be lying on your back for the whole game, are you?" Benny asked.

Luan shrugged as she started to scoot down. "If that's what it takes for Lynn not to see me."

Benny thought for a second. "I've got it." He reached out with his hand, "May I?" She nodded, although apprehensively. He reached up behind her head and pulled her scrunchie out of her hair, letting it fall past her shoulders. She looked at him, but he just smiled, and twirled her scrunchie around his finger. "Now she won't recognize you. Besides, you look nice with your hair down."

She blushed and turned to the field to see Lynn walking out on field, oblivious to her presence. Luan smiled, "It's like I'm not even hair at all."

But Lynn wouldn't have noticed either way, she was far more interested in what her teammates were doing. Margo was busy talking to Henry to keep her mind off her constipation while Henry checked her catcher's gear.

"Margo, hey, what are you doing here?" Lynn asked as she swept in

Margo looked at Lynn in pure desperation. "Lynn, I'm sorry, I need to…"

Lynn cut her off again. "I need you on first."

Henry shook her head. "Lynn, please! I need to go."

Lynn sighed. "Margo, if you do, you're ejected from the game, clear?"

"I believe that's my decision." Said a low voice. Lynn looked over to see their umpire, who was leaning against the wall and giving her a judgmental look. "Is there a problem?"

Lynn shook her head. "Nothing, just checking that my people are up to scratch..."

"Uh-huh." He said. "So, is everything good?"

Lynn threw her arm around Margo's shoulder. "We're good!"

"If you say so." The umpire said as he put his facemask down.

Lynn groaned and shot a glance at the still antsy Margo. "Get out there." She demanded. "Now. Or else." Margo nodded and shuffled off to her spot as Lynn went up to the pitcher's mound.

"Alright folks, we're back!" Said Buck. "Top of the ninth, with the Foxes up to bat. The pitcher is, once again, the Squirrels star player, Lynn Loud!"

The crowd, however small, still cheered for her at the announcement. For a moment Lynn forgot her problems and got lost in the attention. _'They like me.'_ She thought with a smile as she thrust her fist into the air. _'Come on, make it count.'_

"First up to bat for the Foxes' closing pitcher, Camilla Clarke." Said Pep. "Foxes best pitcher at bat and the Squirrels best batter at pitch. This is either gonna be over real soon or it's gonna take forever."

Lynn huffed, lifted her leg, turned her cap backwards, tossed a handful dirt over her shoulder, and patted her right cheek. Buck took the moment to say, "Loud is, as usual, performing her signature good luck rituals."

As Lynn was busy with her Cossack dance, she heard Pep say, "You know Buck, considering this right here probably makes up half the game, I wonder why you keep mentioning it after nine straight innings."

"Habit, I guess." Buck answered.

Lynn finished, she wound up the pitch, and threw it, but the umpire didn't call it a strike, or say anything. Ball one. Lynn got down and repeated her ritual, much to Camilla's annoyance. Lynn pitched again, and this time Camilla swung at it, she hit it and fouled it back into the stands where it obliterated one man's nachos. This continued for several minutes, with Lynn repeatedly doing her rituals before each pitch. _'C'mon. There's gotta be some way in there.'_

Pep decided to weigh in after several more pitches. "By some miracle, we are now at full count with, astoundingly, nineteen fouls."

"Loud's pitched as many times in this at bat as she did in the first inning. Right Pep?"

"I hate being right."

"Fits what we've seen so far." Said Buck. "Both teams have been pulling a ruthless offense. Loud especially for the Squirrels, and with Bravo and Osmond putting most of the hits home for the Foxes."

"I'll say this much," Pep began in monotone, "I am amazed Loud's having this big a problem with a pitcher." Lynn ground her teeth together, did her rituals, and pitched, only for it to fly far out and to the left. Lynn grunted in frustration, but Camilla just shrugged and walked to first, throwing her bat into the corner as she did.

"And she walks Clarke. What a turn!" Said Buck.

"What a shock." Said Pep.

"I don't know." Said Buck. "Anyways, up next is Olivia Osmond, who you'll remember from that triple in the top-of-the-fifth."

"Seasonal average of .320." Pep added. "Second best batting average for the Foxes this season, surely this'll be interesting."

Lynn looked at Olivia, who was lining up her bat with an amused grin on her face. "Hey, Olivia, what you smiling about?" Lynn yelled over to her.

Olivia's smile just widened. "I love a good blowout!"

Lynn sneered. "Game ain't over yet!"

Olivia chuckled. "Guess not. Still, hope you didn't waste too much on your victory party!"

"Cut the trash talk!" The umpire shouted.

Lynn looked over at Henry, who signaled for a sinker, but Lynn shook her head. _'I can get her on a fastball. I can tell.'_ She did her rituals, and threw one right down the pipe. Olivia swung, and it connected. It didn't fly out of the park, but instead flew over Lynn's head, and despite how she reached, she wasn't tall enough to catch it. And with that, the game kicked into gear. Both Camilla and Olivia were off. Lynn spun around to see Josie, at shortstop, pick up the ball and throw it to Bella on second base before Camilla could get there, before she threw to Margo at first.

"Go for it Margo!" Lynn shouted.

Margo stretched, and even though she belly-flopped in the dirt, she caught it while keeping her foot on the bag. Double play. Lynn almost cheered until she saw Margo groan and roll onto her side. Josie ran in and bent over her, obviously asking what was wrong. The entire stadium had their eyes on Margo, including Luan and Benny. "What's wrong with her?" Luan asked Benny.

He shook his head. "Looks like stomach pain. Maybe she's…" Benny's hand went to his mouth. "Oh god!"

Luan turned to him, and was slightly put off by her hair as it swept around her shoulders. "What?"

He shook his head again, "She's the girl who's been holding it in the entire game."

Luan's mouth fell just as the situation played out on field. Margo got onto her hands and knees and she grunted, which was far from loud, yet somehow travelled to every corner of the stadium. Bella came over to try and help, but Margo just ran as fast as she could towards the restroom, her shorts visibly stained. The entire stadium burst into conversation, and a few bouts of mocking laughter, but the two commentators were speechless. After several seconds, all that Buck could say was, "Jesus."

Pep sighed and said. "Well, I think we all could've gone our entire lives without seeing that, but we did.

"I guess he game must go on." Saifd Buck with a sigh.

"I think no matter who wins, nobody is going to care after that."

"And it's not over." Buck continued, "Philips seems to be engaging with Loud."

Luan looked back to Lynn, who was still shocked and motionless on the pitcher's mound as Josie stormed over to her from first base. "What the hell is your problem?" She said calmly. "Are you trying to humiliate us?" Lynn didn't answer, her mind was still on Margo, and she doubted she could come up with a thing to say besides that. Josie shook her head. "Give me the glove." She ordered as she stuck out her hand.

"Why?" Lynn asked defensively, Margo now forgotten.

"You've pitched over a-hundred-and-thirty times." Josie stated. "You're cooked like Thanksgiving turkey. Admit it."

Lynn laughed. "Like you could do any better."

"I can." Said Josie.

Lynn's lip curled. "Get back to first." She said as she turned away from Josie.

"Lynn," Josie said as she took a step closer, "if you want to win this, give it to me. We have one more chance to put this season away."

Lynn rolled her eyes, "I'm number one."

Josie shook her head and instead walked across the field after Margo. Bella signaled for two other players to take up first base and shortstop. But Lynn was still motionless as the stands started interrupting into conversation one again. Luan crossed her fingers and started speaking under her breath. "Please don't go nuts. Please don't go nuts."

Benny turned to her. "What's up?"

"You've never seen Lynn break down. Whenever she gets humiliated she just…" Luan shuddered. "She loses it."

Back on the field, Lynn's knuckles were white as she gripped the ball in her right fist. _'Okay. We're okay. You can pull back from this. One more out, then we can go for a walf-off. Just stay frosty, and pitch like you mean it.'_ She took a long breath and turned back towards home plate.

"Anyways, for those who still care, now up to bat is Beatriz Bravo." Said Pep.

Buck joined in, halfheartedly. "But you might know her as the Foxes' ace batter. Currently four-for-four, with two RBI from that homer in the seventh."

Lynn just grimaced and looked at the lanky Latina with the sharp chin who was practice swinging her bat. _'I have to beat this one.'_ Lynn gritted her teeth and glared right at Beatriz, who responded with a glare of her own as she raised her bat. _'She needs to know who she's dealing with.'_

Lynn inhaled, ready to pitch, but as she reached for her leg, Beatriz shouted, "Really? Come on."

"This is what I do!" Lynn shouted.

Beatriz rolled her eyes. "Whatever you think it does, it's not working."

"Bravo, be patient." Said the Umpire.

But she ignored him. "Face facts girl, your luck's run out!"

Lynn's face went red. "I don't need luck!"

Beatriz laughed, loudly and piercingly, as she put her bat up. And with that one grating noise, Lynn's restraint, which had been running thin all game, finally wore out. Forgetting her rituals, she wound up the pitch and threw the ball. It flew harder, faster, and straighter than anything she'd ever thrown before, and it would have been impressive if it'd been flying towards the catcher's glove. The ball flew right into Beatriz, slamming into her shoulder. The force of the impact was enough to knock her into a spin as she screamed in pain. After regaining her balance, she started marching towards Lynn.

"Uh oh," Said Buck, "Beatriz Bravo wants a piece of Lynn Loud. That did not look accidental."

"And there's a scuffle on the field." Pep said casually. "Should we call the police yet, Buck?"

Lynn's eyes narrowed as Beatriz approached, enraged. "You hit me!"

"You deserved it." Lynn said without thinking.

"Well," Said the umpire as he walked to Lynn, "Loud, off the field." He pointed out, much to the crowd's shock.

Lynn looked at him with wide eyes. "For what?"

"Intentionally throwing a ball at another player is grounds for ejection." He said as he pointed over his shoulder. "Get off the field and go home."

Lynn's eyes widened. "You're not serious?"

The umpire shook his head. "My decision is final. You're not fit to play, so you're gone."

 _'He's not kidding. Oh god.'_ She ran over to him and grabbed his sleeve, and looked up at him with her best puppy-dog eyes. "I'm sorry. Please let me try again!" He just kept walking, trying not to notice the 13-year old he was dragging.

"Have some dignity and just go home." He said as he removed her hand from his sleeve, leaving her on her knees in the grass.

"I'll be good." She said, more to herself than to him.

"Loud," The umpire began, "you're done. " He said before turning away from her.

Beatriz looked back to Lynn and asked, "Your buddy asked a good question, what the hell is your problem?"

Lynn stood and was about to start arguing again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Reflexively, she spun around and shoved the person as hard as she could. It was Josie, who fell to the ground with a grunt.

"Oh god, Josie I'm…"

But Josie stood right back up and ripped the glove right form Lynn's grip. "Lynn, it's over. Go home, before I call coach." Lynn tried to reply, but Josie walked right past her towards the umpire, leaving Lynn alone before the crowd.

"And Joselyn Philips of the Squirrels seems to be having a talk with the umpire." She heard Pep announce. "And Bravo walks."

"Loud is just out of it today, folks. We haven't seen her this off-point since last season's semi-final with the Daisy Hill Daisies." Lynn started shaking and rubbing her arm as she heard the crowd murmur again.

"Is there something wrong with her, you think?"

"Hey, when you feel like playing baseball, let us know!"

"It's not baseball, you prat."

"Get off the field!"

"I feel sorry for her!"

"Really? I don't!"

"Oh god, please don't blow up! Please don't blow up!"

Lynn stopped. _'Wait, is that…'_ She looked along the stands and after a second, she saw her. Luan tried to duck, but she quickly realized it was too late. The two stared at each other as Lynn started to shiver again. _'She was here the whole time. She saw me. I… I need to…'_

Luan opened her mouth to speak, but Lynn just took off. Before Luan could even get out of her seat Lynn had already slammed the restroom door shut. Inside, Lynn fell to the floor, her breathing heavy. _"It's okay. They're out there. I'm okay in here."_ She heard the little voice in her head say. Lynn pulled her arms close and leaned against the door. ""It's okay. I'm alright."

"Ha." Said someone. Lynn turned to see Margo, who was standing next to the garbage can, pulling on a fresh pair of shorts.

"Margo, I'm…" But the word never came. Margo just glared at her. Lynn's stomach fell. If looks could kill, Lynn probably would've combusted on the spot. Margo just huffed and looked down as she sat down to get her sneakers on. From where she was, Lynn could see Margo lightly quaking, as if she was trying her hardest not to attack her. But after she finished tying her shoes, she stood and walked right up to her.

"Move." Was all that she said. Lynn stood up and scurried out of her way. Margo just shot her a look, shook her head, and wrenched the door open and marched back out onto the field.

And then Lynn was alone, in the restroom, trying not to implode. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, then to twenty, then thirty, but the muffled sound of the game being played was enough to draw her back. Her fists clenched, and she started trembling. _'Don't cry. Do not start crying.'_ She took a deep breath and walked to the sink. _'What's going on? Why am I so off today? I'm… I suck. I can't be that awful.'_

"Hey, Lynn?" Said a familiar voice. Lynn whipped her head around to see Luan standing in the half open door. Luan brushed some of her hair aside as she asked. "You okay?"

But Lynn wasn't listening. "What are you doing here?" She stuttered. "You said you couldn't come."

Luan moved closer. "Well… uh, Benny and I just came in…" She stopped when she saw that Lynn had taken a step back. "Lynn? What's wrong?"

She looked at Luan with frightened eyes. "Stay back."

Luan blinked, but her memory caught up with her. "Oh no. Please, Lynn. Not again." She pleaded.

Luan took a step closer, but Lynn screamed and shrunk back like a scared puppy. "Stay away from me!"

"But I…"

Lynn shook her head, and then said the three words Luan was hoping against hope Lynn would never ever say again. "You're bad luck!"

Luan backed away. She remembered last time. There was nothing she could do, so she just left Lynn alone. She closed the door and walked back to Benny, who was leaning against the wall, both her book bag and his lying next to him. "How is she?" He asked without looking up.

Luan leaned on the wall next to him. "I'm not getting through to her. She gets like this."

"Then why'd you come down here?"

Luan shrugged. "Just wanted to be sure. Now I know."

Benny nodded as they heard the crowd roar. "You wanna…" He said as he gestured his head back to the field.

"I'm gonna wait until she comes out. I've had enough sports." She answered. "You can go." He nodded and turned to leave. As he walked off, she said, "Hey!" He turned. "Sorry our day didn't, you know, end the best."

"I had fun. You'll call me tomorrow, right?"

She gave him a relieved smile as she tried to think of a creative pun to end on. She came up blank, so she settled on, "Of course, I've call-en for you, after all."

"Later, I guess."

And with that he left, leaving Luan in the dugout. She looked over to see a few of Lynn's teammates staring at her. She left for the parking lot without a word. She felt the wind blow slightly, rustling her hair. "Where is my scrunchie?" She wondered out loud. After some time in her own head, she reached into her bag for her phone.

She dialed home, and Leni answered. "I got it, dad! Hi, we're Loud!"

"Hey, Leni."

"Oh, hi Luan."

Luan nodded, before realizing that wouldn't work over cell-phone. "Yeah, could you tell mom to come get us?"

"Alright, I'll, like... what do you mean 'us'? What about Lynn's victory party."

"What victory party?"

"The one after the game, it's the…" But Leni fell quiet as she realized what Luan had meant. "Oh. Is Lynn okay?"

Luan snorted. "What do you think?"

Leni gasped. "Oh my god. Is she…"

"Yep."

"And you…"

"Natch."

Leni was close to frantic as she said, "Alright, mom will be there like, totes quick. Just be careful, okay?"

Luan lightly smiled as she twirled the end of her hair. "I'll be okay. I'm always hair-full."

"I don't get it." Said Leni.

"You wouldn't." Said Luan as she absentmindedly played with her pink flower. "Bye Leni."

"Be safe." Leni said finally before hanging up.

Luan quickly checked the time before she shoved her phone back into her bag as she heard the game go on indistinctly in the background. After she closed her bag she heard her stomach growl. She sighed. "Really? Now?" Her stomach just growled again. "Oh well, eats not a bad idea, I guess." She said with a small chuckle. She went to the vending machines by the other end of the field to get herself a snack that wouldn't hurt her teeth. As she was walking back there was a particularly loud roar from the crowd, and she could barely hear one of the announcers say, "It's over! I can't believe it!"

"Finally." She said as she slid down to a spot on the sidewalk just by the way to the dugout. As she indulged herself in a Hershey bar, the people from the stands started to file out, all chatting quite enthusiastically as they went either to their cars or to the public restrooms. Nobody came anywhere near Luan, which she was, for once, fine with. She just broke off a piece of chocolate, put it on her tongue, and stared out into the parking lot, trying to think of what to say to Lynn on the inevitable ride home.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, at the Loud House…_

The mid-afternoon sun surrounded the house in a warm glow, which did nothing to make Lincoln and Lucy less nervous. Lincoln walked up the driveway and past Vanzilla, with Lucy following close behind, and they both stopped in front of the door. Lincoln looked at Lucy and asked, "Ready?" He could see that her shoulders were quaking ever so slightly, but she nodded to him in return. He sucked in a large breath, reached for the door handle, and pushed the door open.

Instantly the pair were met by a full-frontal assault from Luna. "Bro, I'm sorry! Dad said he'd take my axe if I didn't tell him where you-jeez you're filthy."

But before she could continue, their father spoke from the kitchen. "Lincoln, is that you?"

"I'm here!" Lincoln yelled.

"You were supposed to help me cook dinner!" His father shouted.

"I got sidetracked!" Lincoln yelled while looking at Lucy. "Want me to help out?"

"It's almost done!" Lynn Sr. said. "Go sit on the couch!"

"Lincoln?" Rita called from the bedroom, "Where were you?"

Lincoln thought for a second. "I'll tell you in a sec."

Lincoln closed the door and went to sit down by Lisa and Lana, who were both sitting on the floor by the coffee table, doing some hands-on work on something not dissimilar to a Bunsen burner. Lisa had a pen and was making notes in the manual while Lana was using a flathead screwdriver to remove the lower casing. Cliff sat on the couch, watching the humans with interest, while Charles laid on the floor waiting for a belly rub from Lana. The actual TV was also on, on mute, tuned in to the Weather Channel, although nobody cared to watch it. Lana was too invested in her work to even notice that Lincoln had come home, and Lisa only looked up for a second before returning to her manual. "Hello sibling. I believe our parental figures want to talk to you. And your clothes are stained with dirt, by the way."

"Yeah, no kidding." Lincoln said as he sat down on the other end of the couch, dropping his backpack on the floor.

His bum had just touched the seat when Lola marched in from the kitchen. "Oh Linky…"

'What?" He moaned in annoyance.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck," She said while rubbing her hands together.

"Thanks." Lincoln replied, trying his best to ignore his still-least-favorite word.

Lola continued, "''Cuz you're gonna need-wow you look gross. Where were you hanging out, underground?"

"Boo."

Lola jumped in the air and spun around to see Lucy, stoic as ever. Lola quickly put her grin back on. "Don't worry, you're in for it too."

"Lola," Lucy said, "You might want to watch what you say. Remember that I have my bats."

Lola's face fell. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." Lucy said as she stepped past Lola, towards her favorite spot on the family armchair.

Lola turned towards the kitchen. "Dad! Lucy just said she's gonna have her bats poop on me!"

"No she didn't!" Luna shouted as well.

Lisa joined in. "Lola, I doubt that Lucy is going to carry through on her threat to douse you in guano, so please calm your sphincter."

"It gives you wrinkles." Lincoln added as he pulled off his sneakers.

"Okay." She said with a smile. She turned to the kitchen and yelled, "He's all yours, dad!" Lincoln just rolled his eyes and looked over to check the weather.

"Lincoln, what's wrong?" His mother said as she came out from her room, holding Lily, who was contently sucking away on her pacifier. She lightly put her free hand on Lincoln's hair and gave it a rub, which softened his nerves more than he'd care to admit. Rita looked at the younger sisters. "You might want to go into the dining room. I think we're gonna be having some grown-up talk."

Lisa, without bothering to look up from her technical manual, said, "I'd actually be interested in hearing what occurs."

Lola, however, just smiled. "I wanna see this too."

"Well, maybe you could at least go by the fireplace?" Rita asked.

Lana looked to Lisa. "I got a feeling in my gut."

"Perhaps that's the worms." Lisa said.

Lana shook her head. "It's telling me this is gonna stink, and not in the good way."

Lisa groaned lightly. "Fine." She said quietly before she and Lana both shifted their supplies over to the other end of the room. Rita shot Lola a look, and Lola went to join them with a roll of her eyes just as their father came in.

"Alright Leni," He said into the kitchen as Cliff passed him. "If anything goes wrong, just call me!"

"For sure!" Leni shouted from the kitchen.

Lynn Sr. turned to face his two children who sat looking guiltily at the floor. "Well, why did you run off all day?" He asked as he crossed his arms.

Rita shook her head. "Lynn, do you really need to be like that?"

He sighed. "Rita, they were out without telling us."

"With good reason I'm sure." Rita said.

"You need to stop taking their side." He said. "I've got to put my foot down this time. Who knows what could've happened to them." He turned to his two children. "Well?"

Lincoln and Lucy exchanged a quick, worried glance. Despite the hours they'd spent planning this conversation while they walked, neither Lincoln nor Lucy could think of a place to start, especially with their father towering over them as if auditioning for a role as an executioner.

"Dudes, you can talk us. What's going on?" Luna said.

Lucy looked at her Luna, and then her mother. Neither of them was angry, which was enough to get her to say, "Lincoln, could you please?"

He took a deep breath and looked his parents right in the eyes. "Mom, dad," He looked her right in the eyes. "Lucy said she wanted to talk earlier this morning, that's what we were doing."

"That must've been some talk." Rita commented. "You two were gone for almost five hours. What happened?"

Lincoln continued. "Well, it's about Lynn."

Lynn Sr. nodded slowly, "Yeah? What about me?"

Lincoln shook his head. "No, I mean Lynn. You know, Jr.? My sister?"

"Oh."

Lincoln continued. "This morning Lynn said something to Lucy, omething that hut her, and she wanted to talk to me about it."

Rita nodded and glanced at Lucy. "Okay sweetie, what did she say?"

Lincoln looked over to the small dark ball in the armchair that was his little sister. Lincoln sucked in a giant breath and looked his father right in the eyes. "Lynn called Lucy a… well, a freak."

Everyone listening had a different reaction. Rita gasped, Lucy curled shrank into her chair just a little, Luna tensed, and Lynn Sr. let his mouth fall open a little, clearly halfway between denial and confusion. Lisa and Lana weren't paying attention, but Lola just looked at Lincoln in disbelief.

Lynn Sr. walked over to Lucy's seat and got down on his knee to look her right in the face. "Is this true? Did this happen?" Lucy pulled her bangs back to look her father right in the eyes. Lincoln could scarcely believe how tired she looked as she slowly nodded before letting her hair fall back down.

Rita just shook his head. "I'm not sure what to say."

"Man," Said Luna, "that… That is not cool."

Rita looked down. "Well, that's out of line. When she gets back…"

But Rita was interrupted by a tittering, and everybody turned to see Lola laughing into her hands. "You have something' to say?" Lincoln asked.

Lola shook her head. "I'm just amazed that that's all it took to cause this." Lola said. "I get called that at pageant at least..."

"Lola, just stop." Lincoln said. "This isn't about you."

Rita looked at Lola, "Honey, show some tact, please?" Lola nodded and stopped laughing, but she was still smiling.

Lynn Sr. hadn't moved from his kneeling position, having simply turned his head to keep an eye on Lola as she spoke. He turned back to Lucy and gently asked her. "Why didn't you tell us? Why'd you just talk with Lincoln, don't you trust us?"

Lincoln moved to speak, but Lucy interjected. "No, Lincoln. You can't defend me all the time." She sighed. "I didn't want anyone to make fun of me just because my feelings were hurt. And Lincoln, he's always there for me. Whenever I need a word for a poem or someone to talk to. He's never made fun of me."

Luna, who'd been quiet for an uncharacteristically long time, spoke up. "Come on dude, we won't make fun of you for that."

Lucy shifted slightly. "Why wouldn't you? You make fun of Lincoln."

Lola crossed her arms. "Yeah, of course." She started counting. "He dresses up like a superhero whenever there's a convention in town, he still has that moldy old rabbit from that stupid thrift…"

"Don't." Lincoln warned Lola with a dark expression on his face. "Don't go there."

Lola, gave him an offended look, but continued. "And let's not forget the big one. He likes _Princess Pony._ " She gave him a superior grin. "I can't think of a way to top that one."

Lincoln opened his mouth to reply, but Lucy beat him to it. "I can – that book was mine."

Everybody stopped moving as the impact of that ten-ton meteor rippled through the room. Lola did a double take and stared at her whilst even Lisa and Lana jerked up from what they were doing to stare with her. Even Charles had somehow understood that this was a moment to pay attention, and he rolled to his paws and watched with amazed eyes. For several seconds the only sound was from Leni singing as she worked in the kitchen.

Lana spoke first. "That… Pretty pink diabetes-on-a-page _My Little Pony_ knock-off… That was yours?"

Lola made a noise like she'd just seen a Chihuahua explode right in front of her.

Lisa blinked. "Congratulations Lucy. You've managed the impossible and successfully made me question my sense of hearing."

Lynn Sr. shook her head in denial. "No. No. Lincoln, you said that was you."

"I did." Lincoln said. "I took the blame for that. She didn't want anyone to know."

"I was scared." Lucy said.

Rita put her hand on Lucy's cheek. "Lucy, honey – you have to trust us with these things."

Lynn Sr. stood. "So that means," He looked to Lincoln, "I grounded you for nothing?"

Lincoln looked him in the eyes and said, "Yeah, I guess."

But just as Lynn Sr. was about to speak, Lola laughed. "Wow Lincoln, nice job on that one."

"Here we go again." Lincoln said his as he threw his hands up, his face visibly red. "Lola, has it ever occurred to you that you're the reason we kept this hidden for this long?"

"You kept it hidden because it's dumb." Lola answered snootily. "Where I come from, dumb stuff like that comes around to bite you in the butt."

"Well this isn't a pageant." Lincoln said. "So, could you stop treating it like one?"

Lisa lightly pulled on Lana's sleeve and gestured to their parents' room. They both stood, quickly rounded the couch and bolted inside and closed the door, leaving their project on the floor next to Lily. Charles rushed after them, and made it in just in time.

Lola snorted. "Dog eat dog, Linky. If I liked that stuff, I'd keep it hidden too. Could you imagine how everyone at school would react if they found that out?"

"You wouldn't!" Lucy yelled.

Lola smiled. "Now that you mention it… What was that about your bats again?"

Lincoln stood up and quickly said, "Are you for real? We came her to get this off our chests, and you're thinking of blackmailing her?"

"Lincoln, calm down." Rita said warily.

Lincoln didn't notice, and he glared at Lola as he said, "Lola, if you do that, I am never, ever gonna trust you again. Not now, not ever."

"Hmmm." Lola said as she brought her finger to her lip. "That would bite, but then again, so do Lucy's bats." She gave him a wicked grin. "I'm not convinced yet. Give me something better."

Lincoln's expression changed. It wasn't furious, but everyone could tell how angry he was. "Well Lola, since we're on the topic of embarrassing little secrets, you're not exactly miss perfect yourself, since you can't figure out how to fucking read!"

"Lincoln Grant Loud, you will not speak to you sister with that language!" Lynn Sr. barked.

Everybody else just stared at Lincoln as the second bomb of the argument went off around them. Lola was completely stupefied, but after a moment her mouth curled into a scowl and her brow lowered until she looked ready to kill. "How… How dare you."

She moved towards Lincoln, but Luna stepped in front of Lola and put a hand on her chest. "Dude, chill."

Lola started screaming. "You said you'd never let anyone know! You promised!"

"I promised a lot of things." Lincoln said. "She deserved her secret way more than you do!" He pointed at his chest. "She trusts me because I would never even think of using stuff like that to blackmail her."

Lola tried to push past Luna towards him. "You are gonna regret that!" She snarled, "For as long as I live I swear…"

"Lola, honey, calm down." Lynn Sr. pleaded.

"I will not sit here and be humiliated by some boy who still dresses up like a third-rate superhero!"

"Well the way you act, I guess you just can't take what you dish out!" Lincoln yelled back.

"Dudes! Chill, please!" Luna begged.

Lola snarled. "I'll kill…"

"Lola Loud, stop talking or I throw your things in the trash!" Rita ordered, causing everyone in the room to collectively shut up for a third time. Lincoln knew that Rita was exaggerating, but he also knew Lola was too young to realize Rita wouldn't. He couldn't remember the last time she had ever directly commanded anyone to do anything.

This was enough to cause Lily to start crying, which kept everybody else quiet. Lynn Sr. went over picked up Lily and her pacifier and tried to get her calm. As he did, everyone's temper slowly simmered down. After a minute there was a knock at the door. Luna, who was closest, walked over to open it and was greeted by the Yates parents, who both bore their characteristic inappropriate smiles.

Luna forced a smile too and asked. "What's up, Yates?"

Bumper Sr. spoke first. "We were just passing by on our afternoon stroll, since statistics show a walk before dinner is…"

"Neat." Luna deadpanned. "Why you here?"

Both the Yates were obviously taken aback at Luna's bluntness, but they kept smiling. "We were wondering what all the commotion was. It didn't sound normal." She said.

"Or healthy." He added. "Is everything okeydokey?"

Luna shrugged. "You know, just an argument."

Jancey's smile faltered slightly. "Actually, we don't."

"Lucky you, I guess." Lynn Sr. said as walked over to the door, holding the now-quiet Lily. "We're sorry for the noise, we'll try to keep it down."

The Yates nodded in synch. "Thanks muchly." Bumper Sr. said, slightly disparagingly. "We'll leave you to resolve this – tiff of yours."

Lynn Sr. shook his head as they turned to walk away as he closed the door. "I think dinner should be just about ready." He said faintly before putting Lily back down and leaving for the kitchen.

Rita glanced at Lola. "Lola, come help me set the table."

"Fine." Lola moved to follow her mother into the kitchen, but not before shooting Lincoln a dirty look that was nonetheless laced with some small level of guilt.

"Okeydokey." Luna said with a snort under her breath before she looked over at Lincoln. "Dude, I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way."

He looked Luna right back in the eyes, "Tease me if you want, I don't care, but leave Lucy out of it."

Then it was Lucy's turn. "And you should really stop teasing Lincoln. There are people four times his age that cosplay."

He shook his head and looked to the dining room. He could see their mother giving Lola a quiet talking to as they set the table. "But if you can't help yourselves." He spread his arms out wide. "I'm right here."

Luna looked at him, and got down on her knee, just like her father. "I'm sorry, dude."

"You're okay." He said.

From behind them, the door opened, and Lisa and Lana emerged from their temporary haven. Lisa walked around the couch first. "Am I to presume that you've ceased?"

Lincoln turned his head to try to look at them. "All clear."

With that Lisa and Lana restarted their project as Lily quietly sucked on her pacifier on the floor next to them. Lisa shook her head. "Social animals." She commented with a roll of her eyes.

"Ahem."

Lincoln peeked around Luna to see Lola standing by the door, looking at her fingers. "I just wanted to say… I shouldn't have said I was gonna do that." She threw her hand up. "You know, it's all my pageant stuff. I can't help but keep thinking like that, you know?"

Lincoln walked over to her and looked at her directly. "Just keep Lucy out of it, okay? It shouldn't be that hard."

Lola sighed and turned to look at Lucy, who wasn't facing her. "Lucy, I'm sorry if I ever called you anything that hurt your feelings." She looked down at the floor and started nervously pawing at her dress. "I… I was selfish."

"Was?" Said Luna.

Lola shook her head. "I didn't know how much this meant to you, and I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

"Don't call me names." Lucy replied. "And please don't tease me. And don't tell anyone else. I'll tell my friends when I want to."

Lola turned to Lincoln, "I guess... I guess I was being a brat. It's just... I see all those other girls reading stuff so easy and... Can you forgive me?"

Lucy turned to look at her. After a minute, she said, "Okay."

Lola looked to Lincoln for his approval, he just smiled. Lola nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll just… dining room."

She turned to walk back into the dining room just as the phone rang. Leni, who was still in the kitchen, was the first to answer it. "I got it dad! Hi, we're Loud! Oh, hi Luan."

Lincoln tuned out of the conversation as Luna looked down at Lucy. "Dude, if that's what you like, I'm not going to dis you for it. I mean, I've got a few embarrassing things I like."

Lincoln nodded, eager to get the conversation in a more positive direction. "Like what?"

Luna smiled and sat down next to Lincoln. "I'll tell you later."

Lincoln laughed. "Come on, Luna, join the club. Let it out."

Luna shrugged. "Alright, I'll let you in on one." She leaned close to Lincoln and quietly said, "I kinda like Nickelback."

Lincoln recoiled in horror. "Oh my god, Luna! I thought you had taste."

Luna threw her hands up. "What do you want me to say, luv?" She said in her favorite British accent. "I'm not sayin' I like all of it, but they've got some songs that are just rockin'."

Lincoln shook his head. "Name me five."

Luna smirked at the challenge and sat up. "Burn it to the Ground, Bottoms Up, Feed the Machine, This is War, and Rock Star." She said very quickly as she counted them on her fingers.

"You do realize that last one's a joke, right?"

Luna laughed lightly. "But that don't mean it's awesome bro. Besides, I'm a sucker for whenever they do a ballad." She placed her hands over her heart and did a mock swoon. "Lullaby's got the feels, man."

"Alright, okay, you can stop, I get it. Which is your favorite anyway? Rock Star?"

"This Afternoon."

Lincoln shook his head. "Don't know it."

"I listen to a lot of music." Luna said as she sat back. "Name me a genre, I could find a good band in there."

Lucy smiled as she watched their antics. "I prefer melodic death-metal."

Luna smiled in return. "I think I know just the band for you. Ever heard of Avatar?"

Before Lucy could answer, Leni rushed into the room. "Guys, we've totes got a problem!" Leni almost shouted.

Lisa quickly looked up. "Is the hot water heater going to explode?" She said with no small amount of panic in her voice.

Leni jumped back with her hands on her mouth. "What? Is it? Oh my god!"

Rita came in and put a calming hand on Leni's shoulder. "Don't worry Leni. Nothing's going to blow up." Leni exhaled a breath she was holding in, and began breathing deeply to calm herself down.

Lisa just sat back. "Good, I thought for a moment that it might be something serious."

"Lynn's blowing up again!" Leni squealed, causing everyone in the room to stop moving for the second time that day.

Rita was the only one not privy to their children's code. "She's what?" She asked.

"You know?" Leni said, "Luan said Lynn thinks she's bad… uh… L-U-C-K!"

Lincoln sat up. "Leni, are you sure that's what Luan said?"

Leni nodded. "She says that Lynn was mad at her for wrecking her game."

Rita's eyes went wide. "Oh my… You mean?" Leni nodded. In a moment, Rita was going for the car keys. "I'll be back!" She shouted into the kitchen "You can start dinner without me!"

"What? An emergency?" Lynn Sr. shouted from the kitchen.

Rita took a deep breath. "I just want to make sure nothing bad happens!"

Lincoln bounded out of his seat and grabbed at his shoes. "I'm coming! Just let me get my shoes on!"

Rita shook her head. "No, you're not. Remember last time."

Lincoln pulled his sneakers on. "That's why I should go. I know Lynn. I can get her to stop."

"You think?" Luna said disbelievingly as she too stood, "Count me in too! You might need help."

Rita raised her hand. "No. You stay here. We don't need anyone else." Rita said as she reached for her purse.

"But mom…" Luna moaned.

Rita shook her head as she opened the door. "Stay here. Just sit tight, have dinner, and keep an ear on the phone."

"Bye guys." Lincoln quickly said just before he closed the door behind him, leaving Luna to stand dumbly by the front door. After about twenty seconds of her being motionless, Lisa looked up at her over her clipboard, narrowed her eyes and flicked her pen cap at Luna's head.

"Ow, hey!" She yelled.

Lisa nodded. "Good, we aren't experiencing temporal dilations again." She pulled out her spare pen and she and Lana went back to tinkering with their radio.

Luna groaned and shook her head as she coughed. She turned to go to the dining room, but as her eyes swept the room, she noticed something, just as Vanzilla pulled away.

"Hey, where'd Lucy go?"

"I'm over here." Lucy said from behind her, causing her to jump. "What did you expect? I'm not getting anywhere near her."

* * *

 _Back in the Restroom…_

 _'What do I do now? Everybody thinks I'm a loser.'_ Lynn thought as she stood by the door, trying to think. _'I've got to make this right. Luck just wasn't with us today. If I make the softball gods happy again…'_ She shook her head. _'No. I gotta make this right. I gotta talk to them. Tell them that I'm sorry. I've got to make this right. Just talk to them. Just say sorry. That'll help. I'm a good player. Just talk sense.'_

She pulled the door open and came face to face with her team. Josie and Henry were both quietly talking whilst Margo was doing her best to ignore her from the bench. Bella was nowhere to be seen. Without thinking, Lynn's hand automatically started rubbing her arm again. _'What do I say? Aw heck, just wing it.'_

"Hey guys." She began, drawing everybody's attention. "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. For all…"

"You should be." Said one of her team, to nods of agreement from everyone else.

Lynn sighed. "And I and you to know, that I promise I'll make it up to you guys next season."

"Make what up?" Asked Henry.

Lynn looked at her, confused. "The game." She stated. "We'll never lose again."

"But we didn't." Said someone else.

Lynn recoiled in surprise as everyone looked at each other in worry. "How?" Lynn asked, bewildered.

Henry grinned and stood up. "It was amazing. First Josie knocks out the next Fox in three pitches, then Margo comes up first," She mimed hitting a baseball, "knocks it out of the park, and then Bella…"

"Henry, I don't think we need to hear this all again." Said Bella, who came in just behind Lynn from the way to the parking lot, causing her to jump.

Bella went to stand by Josie as she said, "Long story short, we just pulled a miracle out of our ass that guarantees they're gonna make a movie about us in twenty years."

The entire team chuckled except for Lynn, who was, in a word, stunned. "How… You won without me? But…" Lynn stammered, "I'm the best player here." Cue a few more chuckles from several of her teammates, which was enough to get Lynn blushing. _'Please don't laugh at me.'_

"You think you can say that after what you did today?" Said Margo, who was sitting on the bench.

"Margo, I…" Lynn began, but Margo glared at Lynn as if she was a cockroach that she wanted nothing more than to grind into the pieces. She stood, inhaled, and quietly spat, "You're insane. I've been friends with a crazy person all these years."

Lynn looked at her with the most innocent eyes she could muster. "Margo, p-please…"

"I never want to talk to you again."

"But we've been friends since third grade."

Margo laughed again. "You should've thought of that earlier."

Lynn looked down at the ground as she wiped her face with her sleeve. "Please don't hate me."

Margo shook her head. "I pity you. Honestly, I've pitied you ever since we met. I just didn't know I did until now." She smacked her forehead. "I dunno, I guess I'm just stupid or something. Maybe I should've picked up on it when you started with all this _'softball gods'_ bullshit. Honestly, I should've been more worried when you started counting off how many games you won."

"One-twenty-two." Lynn said instinctively.

Margo threw her hands up. "There, you see? You just don't know when to quit it." She advanced on Lynn. "So let me put this so you can understand me. That movie," She glanced at Bella, "the one no-one's ever gonna make, the bad guy is not the Foxes." She pointed her finger right at Lynn's number one. "It's you, Lynn. And you still don't see it." She slowly shook her head. "There's only one person in Loser-Town, she's been there for a long, long time, and her name is Lynn fucking Loud!"

"Jeez Margo, just tell her to get lost." Someone said.

"Why you even wasting your time?" Asked someone else.

"Just tell the loser to go die, or whatever!"

At this point Lynn was actively scratching her upper arm, and her eyes were starting to get teary. "Don't say that, it's bad luck." She begged.

Bella spoke next. "I think I speak for most of us when I say that you shouldn't come to our victory party."

"Should we get Abby?" Said Henry, "She's probably home. Couldn't we…"

But Josie put a hand on her shoulder as Bella said, "No. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

Henry turned to plead with the team, "Let's save her some cake and pizza, at least."

"Oh my god, for once in this shitting season I just wanna go have some fun!" Yelled one of the team.

"Let's just leave her."

Henry threw her arms up. "Well if you're all gonna act like assholes…"

"I don't think she deserves to go." Said someone else.

Lynn was still looking at the ground. She wasn't feeling sad anymore. There was something else building in her gut. _'They're talking like I'm not even here.'_ She clenched her fist as she said, through teary eyes, "You-You're kicking me out?"

"I'd suggest that you walk away." Said Josie.

"Yeah. Get going, loser."

"Guys," Bella said to the group, "just grow up, will you?"

"Why?"

"My sister told me that…" Henry began.

But Lynn took over before Henry could finish. "I carried you through the entire season! Me! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have made twelfth place!" She said that very fast with a red face to match. She started getting louder as she said. "And you retards are gonna kick me to the curb because of one bad inning? Have you all gone insane?"

"Have you?"

"Oh, shut your stupid face!" Lynn screamed as the veins in her neck stood out. "All of you, every one of you! You don't have clue what you're doing without me."

"But we just..."

"I'm the best one here and you know it! So you wanna know what I think?"

"Not really…"

Lynn stood to her full height, which was not much, and she yelled. "You wish you were me!" The reaction was nothing like Lynn was expecting. Almost half of her team, including Margo, burst into laughter, causing Lynn's rage to quickly drain away.

"You? Bitch, right now I'd rather cave my head in with my bat!"

"Let me get my phone, could you say that again?"

"Lynn, just go." Henry said quietly.

Lynn looked from player to player, former friend to former friend, before she said, "You know, I don't care what you say!" That would have had far more weight if her voice wasn't cracking. "I'm going to the Olympics someday! And you'll be nothing! I'm gonna win without you!"

Margo replied by just glaring at her and stating, "Dream on. As long as you do it somewhere else." Lynn couldn't think of what to say as the rest of her former friends chorused their agreement.

"Lynn," Henry began, "You should…"

But Lynn interrupted everyone by screaming, causing the team to collectively jump back several feet. Lynn had already turned to leave before she could notice. She stomped towards the field.

"Hey, you forgot your bag!" Henry said.

Lynn ignored her as she picked up her bat from where she'd left it, which was enough to prevent anyone from getting anywhere close to her, besides one. Henry moved to follow her, but Josie put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

Outside, Lynn marched onto the mid-afternoon field. She screamed again, towards no-one. _'Those retards think they can do it without me? They just got lucky.'_ She went around the restroom building towards the gate leading to the field, and she saw the dumpster. She walked towards it with the wooden bat gripped in both hands as she ground her teeth together. _'Three years. I've been on this team for three years, and this is what I get. I've loved this game since they were in diapers.'_ With a loud grunt she slammed the bat into the dumpster as hard as she possibly could, making it ring like a church bell.

"You! Piece! Shit! God! Damn! Fair! Weather! Argh!" Was the closest thing to words she could come up with as she continued pummeling on the dumpster. The thing shook and even started to roll away from her from the force of her pounding. It was only when she'd clobbered the thing to the point there was a crater on its side that the bat finally gave up. It splintered into dozens of pieces after one hit too many, leaving Lynn with a splintered handle. She threw it onto field while screaming, "Fuck!" as loud as she could. Even after her venting, her breaths came in heavy snarls as she walked away from the field only to stop in her tracks.

She saw Luan walking towards her, eyes on Lynn, but she shot a quick look at the splinters by the dented dumpster. "Hey, Lynn-er." She asked warily. "You okay?"

Lynn didn't answer. _'She was there. She screwed it up. It's the only thing that makes sense.'_ Lynn put her hand out, defensively. "Stay back. I don't want your bad luck."

Luan shook her head. "Lynn, it's okay. It's gonna be alright."

"No it's not! Don't get near me! You ruined everything! We were doing fine, but you just had to turn up and wreck it all!"

Luan's mouth fell open, but no words came out. After a moment, she took a deep breath. "I called mom, so we can work this out when we get home."

"Get away from me."

Luna nodded and turned away. "We'll figure this out later." She quietly said to herself with a dry chuckle.

Lynn noticed. "What did you say?"

Luan turned back to look at her, her eyes wide at her slip up. "I… uh, I was just saying, you know, out? Baseball outs? I was saying we'd batter," She said with a nervous smile, "try and get to home without a pitch. Get it?"

"You think this is funny?"

Luan kept forcing a smile as she quickly said, "I can't help it. I like…"

Before Luan could finish Lynn stomped over to her. "Listen to me, this isn't a joke. Lincoln nearly made me lose last season, and now you just ruined everything."

Luan shook her head. "Lynn, c'mon. I just want to…"

"Ruin my day?" Lynn bitched. "'Cuz you did! You and everyone else can't be bothered to show up except when you want to ruin my day! Why don't you do what you do best and just stay the heck outta my way!"

Luan's mouth dropped. "What?"

Lynn shook her head. "All day, every day, whenever you're around, puns. Non-stop. You just keep going even when we're all fed up. Everyone likes it when you just go away, 'cuz that means we don't have to listen to your brain-dead jokes anymore."

Luan was shocked for a moment, but after a moment something came over her. Her brow furrowed, and her expression darkened. "Okay. You wanna play that game?" She smiled, and suddenly Lynn felt scared. It was not the right day for Luan to have that look in her eyes. "Prepare to lose, again." She cleared her throat. "Do you even know why we avoid you these days?" Lynn crossed her arms as Luan said, "It's shit like this. Exactly like this. You just can't shut up about how wonderful you are, which is funny, because whenever you screw up, you always, every time, look for something else to blame besides yourself."

Lynn took a step back. "You're delusional."

Luan chortled mockingly. "I'm the delusional one?" Luan put her hands on her hips. "Which one of us believes in softball gods? Let me tell you, I can buy some pretty weird things, and even I think you'd have to be a certified moron to actually believe in that!"

"Shut up."

Luan huffed. "Wake up and smell what you're shoveling. You are so self-satisfied, you think you're so cool, that everyone looks up to you. You keep telling everybody loves you, and that you're so above us all, but everyone... Everyone! ...can see that you can't take what you dish out." She smacked her forehead and gave Lynn a look like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Lynn gritted her teeth. "Shut the fuck up."

Luan shook her head. "You know why I was even here today? My boyfriend wanted to come here. His sister is on your team, and he wanted to see her. I spent six months working up the nerve to ask him if he likes me, and you ruined my first date. Now he probably thinks I'm a psycho, 'cuz of you."

"That's your problem." Lynn growled. "You brought your bad luck here."

Luan threw her arms up. "See? There you go again, blaming every single person except you." She grimaced. "When are you going to understand that there is absolutely nothing I could do to you that's worse than what you do to yourself? What's it gonna take? Because you just screwed yourself so hard I'm amazed you aren't walking funny!"

"St-Stop!" Lynn yelled.

Luan took a step towards her furious little sister. "No, you started this, and I'm gonna finish it. I never want to have to deal with this again, so I'll just say this:" She cleared her throat again, "There's only one thing at the center of all your problems." She took another step closer, and Lynn tensed her muscles as Luan continued, "There's one person to blame for all this miserable crap you keep complaining about." Luan pointed her finger right at Lynn's chest. "It's you. Not me, not Lincoln, not your team, not the other team, not the umpire, not anybody else – you. All those problems they're your fault, and we can all see it, we just shut up so we can keep you happy. You waltz out there and prolapse in front of half the town every year, and you're still telling me with a straight face that you're still number one? It's pathetic! You're trying to run a race with both legs crushed while screaming you can win. It'd be tragic if it wasn't so goddamn funny."

"I'm gonna be a star!"

Luan howled with laughter. "Not with that attitude you won't. You keep acting like that people won't wanna touch you with a ten-foot cattle prod. You wanna know where you'll be in ten years? You're gonna be living under a bridge, bitching and whining about how you were an MVP in a game everybody forgot about. And the way you're acting, you belong there."

Now it was Lynn's turn to stare at her with a slack jaw. "Take that back!"

Luan just shook her head and kept rolling. "Lynn, you're a punchline. We all know it. We've known it since you had Lincoln thrown out of the house." She smiled again. "And let me tell you…"

Lynn couldn't help herself. She'd had enough, and she snapped. For just a second, she truly, deeply hated Luan. And that was enough. Lynn shoved her as hard as she could with one final, "Shut up!"

But Luan didn't just stumble back, she tripped, and she fell. Lynn quickly realized that she wasn't going to regain her footing, and the anger she felt was sucked away and replaced with abject horror. Luan fell back onto the asphalt, and she let out a short scream just before the back of her head hit the pavement with a dull, slightly wet thud.

She didn't move after that.

Lynn was completely in shock as she stood there. "Lu-Luan?" She asked softly, but Luan still didn't answer her. She just laid there, her mouth agape, and her eyes still showing all the fear she'd felt during her fall, but they were unfocused as she stared off into nothing. _'Please. Oh god, please. I didn't. She can't be. She's not…'_ But before Lynn could even take a step forward she heard sneakers on asphalt running towards her.

"Pie girl!" Shouted Bella, who quickly got down on her knees beside the still motionless Luan.

Lynn looked up to see Henry, who was holding Lynn's forgotten sports bag, only to throw it to the side and get down on the ground next to Luan as well. She blinked and looked over at the entirety of her team, who were watching her, several of whom had their phones out and recording, but all were totally silent.

Margo was standing at the very front with wide eyes, and she too was lost for words as she unconsciously gripped the towel around her shoulder. "You… You're insane." She said as if she was only just realizing it. There wasn't an ounce of malice in her voice, just disbelieving awe.

"What happened?"

"That's her sister."

"She's not moving. Is she…"

"She killed her. She just killed her sister."

"Luan!" Benny screamed as he pushed past the team to get beside her.

Lynn looked back to Luan's body. Henry and benny were checking her head, lifting it slightly. There was a red stain where Luan's head had hit the pavement.

"Somebody call a medic!" Henry yelled. "And get some ice!" Bella nodded and ran off toward the locker room.

Benny looked at Lynn with tears in his eyes. "You… You... monster!"

Lynn started shaking, and she was again finding it hard to breathe. _'I did that. I just… I don't know why I did that. I just... I can't… I need…'_ But her thoughts were a tangled mess. There was only one feeling she could latch onto. ' _I need to get out of here.'_ She turned to run, but before she'd even taken five steps she felt someone's arms wrap around her neck and pull her back. "Let me go!" Lynn screamed as she thrashed violently against the choke hold.

"Josie, just let her go." Said Margo.

"She has to answer for this." Josie said from behind Lynn's ear.

"Come on Lynn, just stop." Bella said as she returned with a first aid kit, which she gave to Henry.

"I need to get out of here!" Lynn yelled as she felt her feet brush Josie's. With a grunt, she pulled her legs forward and brought them back in a vain effort to kick at Josie's knees.

Josie groaned, half from frustration and half from the effort of holding Lynn. "Bella, her legs!" She said as she wrapped an arm around Lynn's neck, pulling her into an even more secure hold. Bella looked at Josie with a worried glance. "Now!" Bella ran over and grabbed Lynn's feet, which was no easy task since she was still flailing like a dog being hanged by her leash. After several tries, Bella finally locked her arms around Lynn's legs in an awkward, but secure position.

Lynn screamed, but she went nowhere. Her teammates held her too well, and she was starting to feel ever-so-slightly faint.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

Vanzilla was on the road, driving towards the setting sun, which was casting pink into the orange sky. The radio was tuned to the local weather station, playing quietly in the background, but neither Rita or Lincoln was listening. Instead, Rita was talking, more to herself than to Lincoln, since he was simply looking out the passenger side window, losing himself in thought as he watched houses pass.

"Twice. I can't believe this is happening twice." Rita sighed. "I just don't know what to do with her."

Lincoln turned to her. "No matter what happens, we're not making Luan sleep outside. Or Lynn."

Rita bowed her head. "Lincoln, I…"

Lincoln looked back out the window as the car passed a small lake that was tinted gold by the late-afternoon sun. "You already apologized." He said matter-of-factly.

"But you still avoid me." She said. "We never talk anymore. And you don't…" He looked back at her, and she spared a quick glance from the road to look in his eyes. He was glaring at her, but not out of anger. The disappointment in his eyes made her heart just implode. "I made a mistake. I understand that now." She said as she looked back at the road. "I just… Lynn Jr. was talking about it so much, and your father and…" She shook her head. "It just felt right. I believed it. I didn't think about it. I should've."

"You had all night to think about it. You still didn't let me in."

"I just wanted to be careful." She said. "You know? Just in case anything went wrong. We were worried somebody would get hurt."

"You sold my furniture." He stated.

"We got it back, didn't we?"

"You gave me breakfast through the doggie door."

"I know, but…"

'And when I asked you to let me in, when I told you I did it on purpose, you ignored everything I…"

"Lincoln, what do I have to do to make it up to you? Just tell me."

"I can't think of anything. Besides this." Lincoln patted the small pocket in the front of his jeans. "Maybe I'll think up something later, but not now."

"Then when?" Rita begged. "How long is it going to take? Lincoln, it's been so long, and it's still bothering you. What do I have to do to make it up to you?"

But he didn't answer. He just shook his head and pulled out his small, silver house-key, which he'd always made sure to keep on him.

"So, clouds have cleared up from the morning and mid-afternoon, but expect some rain later to come in for Royal…" He sat forward and switched the radio off. But instead of sitting back he put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

Rita put her elbow on the door and rubbed her forehead as well. "I just want things to be back to how they were."

"I do too." Lincoln replied as he shoved the key back into his pocket. "But right now we've got bigger problems."

Again, silence, except for the radio until Rita asked, "What do you think we should do with her?"

"Maybe I could swap rooms with Lynn for a few days?" Lincoln said without taking his head from his hands as they turned in to the baseball field's parking lot.

"Maybe. I think she'd like someone that isn't as rough."

He looked up, "I suppose that… What the heck?" Lincoln pointed out the windshield towards the cluster of girls in the center of the half-empty parking lot. Rita saw Lynn being held in place by two other girls.

"Oh god!" Rita exclaimed as she sloppily pulled into a parking space.

Lincoln was out the door before they'd stopped. "Lynn!" he yelled as he ran to his sister, ignoring the murmerings of her team.

Lynn was still trying to escape, her mind was a haze of emotions, but his voice was an icebreaker through her brain. _'Is that Lincoln?'_

"Finally!" yelled Bella. "I can get out of this." She let go of Lynn's legs, and Lynn was too exhausted to even try kicking anymore. As soon as Lincoln pulled up, Josie followed suit, letting Lynn out of the neck lock she'd used to hold her. Lynn was barely ready to stand on her feet again; it took her several seconds for her to get her balance. But she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, keeping her from falling.

"Are you alright?" She heard someone ask gently.

"What's going on?" Rita asked as she ran up. "What? Lincoln, is she okay?"

 _'Why am I so dizzy? Who's alright? Who's talking?'_ Lynn looked up, right into the concerned blue eyes of her white haired little brother. Everything seemed to fade away, just for a moment, and she smiled. "Linky..."

"Hey, Lynn." He replied hesitantly.

She Kept smiling for a moment, before she threw her arms around him. "You came!" She whispered into his ear before she rubbed her cheek on his, "I wanted to ask you. See if you got better. But you came anyway!"

"Uh-huh." Lincoln moaned as he carefully patted her on the shoulder, unsure of exctly what was going on. Neither of them noticed their mother, who was standing by Luan, talking with Henry.

She kept on smiling as she quietly nuzzled his cheek. She pulled away, but her focus was on his orange shirt for just a moment before returning to his gaze. _'I could get so lost in his eyes.'_ She inhaled shakily. "You said you'd always be here."

Lincoln laughed. "I can try."

She nodded as she reached up and rubbed his hair. "Yeah, look at you."

"Always here to help."

Lynn's memory of the last several minutes had fallen into almost a haze, but her senses were slowly coming back. "How'd you get here?"

"Mom drove me." When he said that, it hit her like a brick wall.

Lynn's eyes went wide as her instincts kicked back in. _'Luan. Mom. She can't know. She'll kill me if she finds out.'_ She looked over to see Luan, who was still on the ground in Henry and Benny's arms.

"Oh my god! What happened?" Lincoln asked wildly, noticing her for the first time.

Rita looked directly at Lynn. Her expression was cold, even though she was obviously on the brink of tears. She inhaled a shaky breath and asked, "Lynn Jr. – did you did this?"

Lynn started backing away. "I didn't…"

Rita stood from where she'd been crouching next to Luan, looked down at her quaking daughter, then steadily said, "Lynn Sheridan Loud Jr. – did you do this, yes or no? I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me the truth. Now."

Lynn looked at the ground. "She wouldn't be quiet. She just kept talking and…" She looked back up. "She just kept going and..."

"Get in the van."" She said in a voice that made it all too clear she was trying not to explode.

Lynn's breath was faint, and she took another step back until she felt a soft hand around hers. "Lynn, I'm right here."

"Lincoln, get away from her." Rita warned.

Lincoln looked right at her. "Mom, it was a accident. She didn't mean it."

"You don't know that. Lincoln, please, come over here." Rita said shakily as she reached for her son.

 _'I need to… I need to…'_ Lynn looked up at her mother's devastated eyes. ' _She hates me. I need to get out of here.'_ She pulled away from Lincoln and stated off towards the gate, but Lincoln still had his hand around hers.

"Lynn, please, just come home. We'll…"

Lynn just ripped her hand from Lincoln's grip. _'He… My dream. He was in that. Was he… Did he jinx me again? I don't know. I just… I need to get out..."_

"Lincoln, please, just let her go." Rita pleaded as she walked towards him. "Come over to me. Lincoln, now!"

Lincoln wasn't listening. "Mom, please, I can fix this." As Lynn marched away he told her, "It's okay Lynn! I'm here!"

"No, you weren't!" Lynn said without thinking. _'Back then he said he would, didn't he? I think he did.'_ But the more she tried to sort her thoughts, the harder it was. She felt like pianos were crashing through her mind.

"What?"

Lynn spun around, to see her team and her brother wearing the same uncertain looks. "You didn't! You said you'd always be here! You promised!" Lincoln just stood there, stunned.

She turned back around, but she stopped when Lincoln took her hand again. "Lynn, I'm here." He whispered. "We can work this…"

"Let go of me!" She snapped, and before Lincoln knew what hit him, she did. She slapped him across the cheek as hard as she could. It wasn't like all the times she'd hit him before. This was supposed to hurt. He stared at her, his hand on his now-red cheek, and Lynn finally saw what she'd just done. In just that look, she could feel all the confusion behind his eyes as he struggled to find what to say to her. Lynn's breathing was heavier than ever, and it was at that point she noticed that her teammates had witnessed the whole thing from a distance. '' _I can't stay here.'_ Lynn bolted towards the gate, past the ambulance that was pulling in, and down the road.

* * *

 **This is the chapter where everything gets kicked up a notch, and this defines the story as a whole.**

 **The title of this two parter was originally going to be the name of the story as a whole, after the BMTH song, but I decided that this chapter really fits the definition better.**

 **In any case, this was a hard one to write. I finagled with this one a lot, but there are some moments I really do like.**

 **Ever since _Read A Loud_ I've always liked the idea that Lola was dyslexic. Just another way the writers have managed to make her far more dynamic as episodes go on.**

 **Writing Luan was... interesting. Especially writing her in what I like to call "Beast Mode".**

 **Anyway, don't want to be too long. All I can say is, thanks for reading.**

 **Listening to: _Fracture_ by Austin Wintory**


	5. Lost Girl On A Lonely Road

**A/N: This is another entry in the "This Thing Should've Been Out Sooner" category, but I do have my reasons, n** **amely: rewrites.**

 **Not so much in this chapter, but I had to almost completely revise two chapters to make it fit better both with the show and my vision for the story. And there were things I had to change in this too. Details are down below.**

 **It's also the first real chapter after "Middle Men" came out. Perhaps surprisingly, the rewrites were not because of that episode, since that episode does slot in rather well into the narrative here, without any need for me to change things. My interpretation of Lynn's issues is different than what the show presented, vastly different, but it hasn't actually caused any issues in my narrative so far.**

 **All I'll say is thank you to everyone who's favorited and followed, and thanks to the reviewers for your feedback. Your support after all this waiting makes this all worth it.**

* * *

 _"Hey-o! Loud House!"_

 _"Hi dear."_

 _"Hey Rita, you got everything with Lynnarino sorted out?_

 _…_

 _Honey? Still there?"_

 _"Yeah. Lynn, are you done with dinner?"_

 _"Yeah, the kids are eating. What's going on?"_

 _"There's, well, something's come up..."_

 _"What happened?"_

 _"It's Lynn Jr., she… Well…"_

 _"And what?"_

 _"Lynn, I don't want you to just… you know, go overboard when I tell you."_

 _"Rita, what happened?"_

 _"She attacked Luan. She hurt her. She's unconscious._

 _…_

 _Honey?"_

 _"I'm still here. I just… I don't... You're not kidding?"_

 _"Afraid not. At first, I thought she was… One of her teammates told me she was still breathing."_

 _"Where is she?"_

 _"Paramedics are looking at her. They said it's probably a concussion, but they want to check. They're patching up the bleeding."_

 _..._

 _"And Lynn Jr.?"_

 _"She ran off. I don't know where."_

 _"We should call the police."_

 _"I know. I'm going to go with the medics to St. Rosato's."_

 _"The hospital? Oh god. I can't…"_

 _"Lynn, just keep calm. We need to be adults about this. We can't avoid this. Not this time."_

 _"Alight. I'll just… I'll call them."_

 _"You can put my dinner away, I'll drop Lincoln off before I go to the hospital."_

 _"I want to see her."_

 _"Just hold on, okay? I need you to take care of the kids. At least until Lori gets home."_

 _"And… How's Lincoln."_

 _"He's not hurt badly."_

 _"Can I talk to him?"_

 _"Sure."_

 _…_

 _"Hi dad."_

 _"Hey son, what's going on?"_

 _"I'm talking to Luan's boyfriend."_

 _"What was going on with Lynn Jr.?"_

 _"She… I don't know. I thought she was… I don't know anymore."_

 _"Mom says she's gonna drop you off."_

 _"No. I'm gonna stay with Luan."_

 _"Did you tell her?"_

 _"Yeah. She still wants to drop me off. I can convince her."_

 _…_

 _"Just stay strong, son. Keep an eye on your sister for me."_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"Hold on a sec…"_

 _…_

 _"Hey bro."_

 _"Oh, hey Luna."_

 _"How're you holding up?"_

 _"I don't know."_

 _"What happened?"_

 _"Lynn… She… Lynn pushed her and Luan… She hit her head."_

 _"Shit."_

 _"She's up now, but she's… She's kinda out there."_

 _"I need to…"_

 _"Luna, just stay home."_

 _"Bro, I…"_

 _"Luna, there's nothing you can do here. I'll call later and fill you in. Okay?"_

 _"Alright bro. Just… Just keep your head on until you get home. It always helps me when I hum a song."_

 _"Thanks. See you later…"_

 _"…Alligator. I'll keep a plate warm for you."_

 _"Thanks. Bye."_

 _"Seeya, bro.""_

* * *

 _Gus' Games & Grub…_

"You're listening to 97.5, Royal Woods Pop FM, Now here's classic from yesteryear, _Wildest Dreams_ by Taylor Swift."

"You know," Lori said as she ran a washcloth over the table of the booth, "my little brother, he loves this song, but if he even thinks about playing this at any point in the next month…"

Her co-worker, Helen, laughed from behind the snack bar as she checked her lipstick in her hand mirror. "How many times?"

"I have heard this song literally five times today. And I've only been here since three." Lori said as she walked towards the door to the kitchen and pushed it open.

Helen turned to face her, "We've all got that one. Mine was _Ain't it Fun._ " She smiled. "Hey, that rhymed!"

Lori just shook her head. "Good for you. Now if you please," she pointed to the pile of dishes in the sink, "it's your turn to wash these."

Helen pouted. "Aw, I'd be so grateful if you could…"

"If you're grateful enough to pay cash, then I would. But you aren't, and it's your turn to do this crap."

Helen stood and went to get her gloves. "The dishwasher just had to go get the clap..."

Lori smirked as she took her seat at the snack bar, resting her head on her arms as she looked out at the half-filled arcade. Only one booth was occupied by a pair of preteen boys who were obviously on their first date, and there were only one other kid in the arcade, busy with whatever game she'd gotten invested in. All things told, she was happy that it was a relatively tame night.

"If only the Gus would just let me use my phone…" She pouted. "I miss Bobby." She said wistfully as she kept her eyes on the bus stop near the front of the arcade. The door opened, and boy with curly brown hair who was dressed in jeans and a blue and white shirt held the door open for a brunette girl who was dressed in a dark blue shirt and shorts, who held a matching cap in her hands. Lori got up, adjusted her popcorn-bucket hat, got her notepad and pen and walked out the door to meet the two, who'd taken the booth she just cleaned.

"You sure she's gonna be okay?" Asked the boy.

The girl nodded. "Her mom's got her. She'll be fine."

"Yeah, but…" The boy shook his head, "How the heck did that even start?"

The girl snorted. "I don't even know. She went from zero to bananas in, like, no time flat. And I thought I felt sorry for your girlfriend before." She looked to Lori. "Hey, could we get a half-cheese and half-ham?"

"Please keep the ham far away." The boy said.

"Vegetarian." The girl said to Lori with a roll of her eyes while pointing at him with her thumb. "I'll have a Coke."

"Sprite please." The boy said.

Lori turned to go get the order started, after which she got their drinks. As she walked back to the table she heard the girl say, "Look, can we just forget that for now? It's making me nauseous."

The boy shook his head. "All this just because she lost a ball game?"

"Apparently."

Lori stopped moving right next to the table, with the drinks in her hands as she realized that the girl was wearing a dark-blue junior-league softball uniform. She wound up standing there, slack-jawed, long enough to get weird looks from both of the people she was supposed to be serving.

"Hey Benny, you think if I put my ear up to hers I'll hear the ocean?" The girl asked with a small chuckle.

Benny rolled his eyes and asked Lori, "Hey? Are you okay?" He snapped his fingers in front of her.

Lori jogged herself form her haze and placed their drinks on the table. "Sorry, sorry. Look I hate to ask, but I couldn't help but hear you talking."

"Obviously." Said the girl.

"Bella…" Benny cautioned.

Lori shook her head. "I don't mean to pry, but did your team win?"

Bella nodded. "4-3 us. And we had to fight for every inch of it.""

Lori's mouth fell again. "Oh my god, the Squirrels lost!"

Bella laughed. "Lady, I'm on the Squirrels." She pulled at her shirt. "Can't tell, can you? And boy is there a story behind this."

Lori smiled in relief. "Really? The Squirrels won?"

Benny nodded. "It was a weird game."

Bella snorted. "Don't get me started." She looked to Lori. "Don't ask, okay? Just don't. What about it?"

Lori just shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing." She said as she turned to go back behind the counter. "It's just a load off my mind."

* * *

 _A Street…_

The sun was still pink and orange in the sky as it just touched the horizon. The flash of the streetlights turning on was just enough to snap Lynn out of her haze as she kept running. She kept running until hit an uneven slab in the sidewalk. With a yell she rolled across the pavement. As she rolled her knees and elbows taking the brunt of the fall, the shoulder of her shirt broke on the pavement, leaving a fist-sized hole and ripped red raw skin beneath. The pain was enough to kick her back to reality.

 _'Who? What? Where am I?'_ She looked around, but there was nothing nearby to give her any sign of where she was. It was just another suburban street, and it wasn't Franklin Avenue. The street was quiet, save for the sound of distant traffic, and empty, with everyone who lived there either making their way towards downtown for a fun night out, or settling for a warm night in their homes. Only Lynn was out on the streets. She groaned in discomfort as felt her aching muscles, her scraped knees and elbows pressed onto pavement, and the stiffness in her back, but she wasn't even thinking about that.

 _'Oh god. Oh god. What did I just…'_ She took a deep breath. _'I… I just... I killed her. They were all watching. Lincoln and…'_ She screamed. She screamed once, twice, thrice, then she lost count. She screamed as loud as she possibly could. She screamed until it hurt. She only stopped when it felt like she'd been swallowing crushed glass.

"Hey! Could you keep it down?" Said a male voice from one of the many houses.

"Go die in a ditch!" She yelled more at the ground than anything else.

The voice didn't say anything for a minute, until "If you scream again I'm calling the police. Then you'll have something to scream about." She heard a door slam, but she didn't look up.

She stayed on all fours and panted with her face still looking towards the sidewalk as her breath started to slow. _'I need a minute. I just need to think for a minute. I just…'_ She thought just as she noticed a small drop of red on the sidewalk. She fought off the urge to scream again and she got up and resumed walking, her fingers keeping the pressure on her again-bleeding nose. She looked up and saw a small neighborhood park, centered around a green-and-blue playground. Her eyes went to the pair of swings. She wiped her slightly-bloody hand on her shorts and walked towards the swing set and sat down on the left one. Once she was comfortable, or not-especially-uncomfortable, given the seating arrangements, she resumed thinking. _'Where'd it go wrong? How the hell did… The red. My dream. I felt it. And then the nosebleed. Everything was telling me that I needed to get away from it.'_ She looked down at her shorts. _'I just knew it. The softball gods, they told me, didn't they? That nightmare has to mean something.'_

She looked up at the pastel sky. "What does it mean? Aren't you going to tell me? You guys got my back, right?" She slouched into her seat and started unconsciously pushing herself back and forth. _'Why do I even try? Margo's right, they never ever say anything.'_ She looked down at the woodchips on the ground. _'And Margo? She's never gonna forgive me. Not after that, in front of half the town.'_ She curled her arm around the chain of the swing as one sentence barely exited her mouth. "I don't blame her."

 _'What was I even thinking? It was all going great and then it just fell apart. I couldn't keep it together.'_ She sighed and looked herself over. There was dirt on her knees and her elbows had red rashes rubbed raw from skidding on the streets. _'It was out of my hands. I can't think of the last time it was ever like that. Last season. That game where we were at 3-0 and then wound up losing. The one that Linc… Oh god, Lincoln.'_ She scowled. _'But he was holding me. I needed to get out of there. He thought that if he grabbed onto me he could help me.'_

But then she remembered something.

 _I'm on my bike, and I'm roaring down the street as fast as I can. I'm hunched over the handlebars, my butt in the air, pedaling as hard as I can. The wind's in my hair, and there's only one thing on my mind. I've got to do this, no matter what._

 _I feel a hand grab my waist. "That way!" He yells._

 _"_ _On it!"_

 _"_ _Faster Lynn! Come on!" He yells as his other hand comes around my waist. I feel his hips bump against mine._

 _I give him a quick glance; out of the corner of my eye I see him standing on the pegs and pointing towards the distance. My eyes go back the bridge over the drain canal we're riding along at full speed. "I'm going as fast as I can!"_

 _He laughs. It's that bright, high chime that never fails to make me smile as the wind whips through my hair. "Go for it! You can do it!" He tells me with more confidence than anything I've ever said._

 _I grit my teeth. "Anything for you Linky! Charge!" And somehow, I'm pedaling even harder than I was a second ago._

 _I'm on my bike, and I'm roaring down the street as fast as I can. I'm hunched over the handlebars, my butt in the air, pedaling as hard as I can. The wind's in my hair, and there's only one thing on my mind. I've got to do this, no matter what._

Lynn's expression of open-mouthed realization slowly shifted into a wistful smile. _'I was trying to remember that earlier!_ _How could I forget that? Yeah, we just had pizza. Linky had just gotten his allowance money and we were riding… somewhere. And Linky told me it was a race against time to stop some bad guy from getting the treasure. Way too much Indiana Jones, I guess. Silly.'_ She laughed lightly pushed her legs forward and started swinging. _'I think we went down that canal once. I don't even remember where that is. Maybe someday when…''_ Her expression turned melancholy again as she stopped swinging, slowing to a standstill. _'It was so much simpler then. No crowds, no winning or losing. Just me and my bro.'_

She shook her head. ' _Luan should've known better. She should've stayed back. I was mad, and she…'_ But the excuse fell apart before she could even finish it. 'And then h _e tried to help me, and I…'_ She unconsciously reached up to wipe her lip, and she looked down to see a small dark smear on her sleeve.

 _'I killed Luan. She's gone. 'Cuz of me.'_ She felt something welling up inside her; something she'd been resisting all day. _'Don't cry. Don't you dare cry. Crying never helps anything.'_ But the longer she sat there, the harder it was to hold back. _'I need to go. I can't just sit here all night.'_ She took a deep breath and got up from her swing and resumed her pervious path down the street, once again clenching her nostril. _'I don't know where I'm even going. I can't go home. Not after that. They'll kill me.'_ She shivered. _'They're not gonna let me play anymore, that's a definite, then after that… They're gonna make me hurt. They'll 'fix' me.'_ She thought as she marched down the road.

 _'I gotta make this right, but I can't go home. If I do… I dunno. I dunno what'll happen. They'll shove me into a hospital or something. If I go back I'll never play again. I can fix this. I just need to make this right with the gods. And then… Then I can keep playing. Then everything'll be alright.'_ She glanced up at the sky, _'You guys won't leave me, right?'_

* * *

 _At the Loud House…_

Dinner was a quiet affair, even before Lynn Sr. stepped out to answer the phone. With one of the parents and two of the older sisters not around, the younger siblings had all taken seats at the main table to eat their dinner. Lucy had taken Luan's usual seat at the end of the table, and she spent her time examining her sisters.

Luna was quietly toying with her broccoli with one hand, quietly browsing the internet on her purple phone in the other, so very unlike her usual demeanor. She was quietly concerning herself with what was going on as she read through local news stories, mostly in the sports section.

Leni was more obviously worried; she was trembling lightly and had asked several times if things were going to be okay.

Lola had tried to bring the conversation to her new skin cream, as usual, but everyone else's lack of enthusiasm did a good job at silencing her. Even still, there was a small hint of worry in her eyes that Lucy caught a glimpse of, just for a moment.

Lisa was the most obviously unconcerned. She was thinking hard, as usual, and her expression was predictably stoic as she wrote on a clipboard whilst examining Lily, who was rather sedate after eating her food, surprisingly without hassle. Lucy suspected that even she could somewhat grasp the gravity of the situation.

The one who's reaction most interested Lucy was Lana, who was actively paying attention. She was somewhere between Luna and Leni in terms of her worry. While she wasn't actively shaking, it was obvious that she was fully invested in the day's events.

When the phone rang, everyone, even Lily, stopped to listen. And the moment they heard him ask, "What happened to her?" everyone visibly tensed. And then he said, "We should call the police.", which was enough to get Leni to drop her fork. And then his next line, "The hospital?" was enough to cause Luna to drop her phone into her mashed potatoes. She pulled her phone out and wiped it off on her skirt, then moved to stand.

She walked into the kitchen, passing Lynn Sr. without bothering him as he leaned against the wall, forehead in hand, the phone up to his ear as he said. "Mom says she's gonna swing by the hospital. Just to get you checked over." Luna had just sealed her leftovers into a container and put it in the fridge when he handed her the phone. As she talked, all he could do was step over to the counter and lean against it, his head hanging.

"You okay, pop-star?" Luna asked as she hung up.

Lynn Sr. shot her a momentary glare, as if she'd just asked the dumbest question in the history of ever, but once he saw the concern in her eyes, his gaze softened. "I just don't know anymore." He gestured towards the dining room.e "Come on, I want to tell everyone." Luna followed him and stood in the door-frame, leaning on it as Lynn Sr. cleared his throat.

"Well, I guess you guys were listening in, so I'll just give you the basics: Lynn Jr.'s missing."

"Who took her?" Leni blurted out.

Lynn Sr. shook his head. "It's not like that."

"She ran off, didn't she?" asked Lucy.

Lynn Sr. nodded. "She… uh…"

"What happened?" Lana asked in a panicked tone.

Lynn Sr. looked to the floor. "Lynn, she lost her game, and then she started with the whole bad luck deal on Luan." As he said that, Lisa looked up at him with cautious, curious eyes. "And she…" But he stopped. He was clearly struggling to find the words.

"She hurt Luan." Luna said perfectly clearly, without any slang or accent, "She's in the hospital."

At those words Lucy recoiled slightly, Lana's and Lola's mouths fell open, and even Lisa dropped her pen. But Leni took the cake, she audibly squealed like she'd just been punched.

"How bad is it?" Lucy asked.

"Your mother's taking him to the hospital, just in case." He quickly added. He stood straighter. "Okay, I need to go find some things, after that I'll call 911." Lynn Sr. looked to the remaining sisters. "Leni, can you and Lucy handle the dishes tonight?"

"Yeah." Leni said, despondently.

Lynn Sr. nodded. "After that, I think maybe we could watch a movie. Something light." Everybody agreed quietly. And with that Lynn Sr. turned to go to his bedroom.

Everything was silent in the dining room, until Lily said one thing. "Winky?" she asked hopefully.

Luna took the lead, walking over to Lily's highchair and taking her out of it. "I'll sing her a lullaby and get her to bed early. I think it's gonna be a hella long night." She said as she took Lily out of the room and upstairs.

Lisa shook her head as she laid her clipboard down. "I never thought things would turn this severe."

Lana was staring into her meatloaf, but she quietly said. "Neither did I." She pushed her plate away. "I need to go do something." She said as she too left for upstairs.

"But shouldn't we finish?" Leni said.

"I don't think anybody's hungry." Lucy said.

"I'm gonna." Lola said as she forked in some mashed potatoes. When everyone gave her a judging look, she just shrugged. "What? I'm hungry."

In the parents' bedroom, Lynn Sr. was rifling through the bottom drawer of the cabinet. "Where are they?"

"They're probably buried in the closet." Lynn Sr. spun around to come face to face with the typically solemn little girl.

Lynn Sr. shook his head. "Lucy, please don't sneak up on me like that. Not tonight."

"Sigh. I'll try." Lucy said as she pulled the closet open and moved to open one of the boxes.

Lynn Sr. joined her. "The police are gonna want a recent picture, I need to dig up one of those too. You should go look for that." He said as he turned back to the closet. "I think they're in the end-table by the couch, the left one. If they're not there, try the attic. There's gotta be something up there."

"Dad?"

"If we can't find any we'll just look on my phone. I've got a couple from a few weeks ago, at that last game."

"Dad."

"Maybe we should find one where she's dressed normally though."

"Dad!"

Lynn Sr. turned to face Lucy, only to see her standing to the side, holding the photo album in-hand. "It was in the end-table."

He flinched. "Lucy, I told you not to do that."

Lucy looked at the floor. "I thought it'd help."

"Just put it on the bed." He said. "And please don't do that anymore."

She nodded and turned to the door but stopped. "How's Lincoln?"

"He said he's okay, things considered." He looked at her, she hadn't turned around. "Lucy, I'm really sorry about that book. I wish you'd have trusted me."

"Lincoln said he'd take the fall, and he did." Lucy stated, "What's done is done. I don't blame you."

"I guess so." Lynn Sr. said as he pulled out a gray binder. "I'll call 911, after that we'll watch something."

"Okay, dad." Lucy said quietly as she left the room.

Lynn Sr. looked down at the binder in his hands, and he opened it. Inside, arranged from Lori on down, was all his children's' health records. He pushed past the older sister's old papers to find Lincoln, but just as he turned through Lynn's section, marked in red, he noticed a manila folder that he didn't recognize. He opened it up and was met by a thin pack of old, yet unfamiliar papers stapled together. He pulled it out and opened it. It read:

 _Royal Oak Public Schools_

 _Department of Child Services_

 _Psychological Evaluation_

 _Name: Lynn Loud Jr. Grade: 1_

He took a deep breath, and when he exhaled, but as he pushed through the case he found an old Polaroid of Lynn with her father, dressed in her softball duds as she rode on his shoulders laughing brightly as he smiled. He smiled, but it didn't last as the day hit him. With a heavy grunt, he threw the case onto the floor and collapsed against the dresser before weeping. From the doorway, where he wasn't looking, Lucy stood there, watching with a look of slightly distant sadness on her face, before she quietly closed the door, leaving her father to sort his feelings out.

* * *

 _Elsewhere…_

' _My feet hurt.'_ Lynn shot a quick look down at the cleats she was wearing. _'They never hurt before, have they?'_

The sky was a very dark orange as the sun got ever lower, and Lynn was walking again, her eyes solemnly on the sidewalk. She was making sure not to think by concentrating on not stepping on any cracks. It was only when her stomach growled that she thought of anything else. _'Why is it so hard to think when you're hungry? I haven't had anything since that thing they made me at breakfast.'_

She looked up as she reached the curb, and came face to face with a wide, two-lane road separated by a wide median with a few cars going back and forth. _'Is this… This can't be Woodward.'_ She looked up at the stoplight, slowly swaying in the breeze, then sign on the median that indeed read: S. Woodward Ave. _'Jeez, I walked far. I think Flip's is down that ways.'_ She turned south. Far down the road, past a packed restaurant called The Waffle House she could see a familiar convenience store. _'Maybe I could convince him to give me something. I can use the bathroom.'_ She set off towards the store. _'Where am I even gonna go after this? I can't go back home, and nobody's gonna take me in after today.'_ She thought as the store grew closer. _'Actually, I don't know anybody outside of my teams.'_ She shook her head and shivered, even though it wasn't that cold.

She crossed the empty parking lot and walked towards the store. Lynn walked right up to the door and opened it; the sound of 60s rock playing faintly over loudspeakers met her ears as she walked in. "Welcome to Flip's! If you want it, and we got it, you're payin' for it!"

She looked over at Flip, who was sitting behind the register and hadn't bothered to look up from his newspaper. She cleared her throat, and simply said. "Hey Flip. You ever close?"

He looked over at her. "Hey, you. Aren't you a little young to be out this late?"

She gave him a confused look. "Don't you remember me?"

He looked at her for a second. "I know I seen you before, I think."

"I got drafted to your team, remember? The Turkey Jerkies?"

"Oh yeah. You're Lincoln's sister."

She looked to the checkered floor in shame as her face flushed. "S-Sometimes."

He examined her closely, his eyes going over her rough appearance, and the hole in her shirt. "Are you okay? You look like trash, girl. You got some blood on your…"

"I'm fine, I just need to use the restroom." She said with a small snarl.

He shot her an inquisitive glance over the sports section. "Sorry kid. No restroom unless you're buying something. Company policy."

Lynn rolled her eyes and went to get a chocolate energy bar form the box on the counter while reaching for her pocket. It took her a moment to realize something. _'Holy crap. Don't tell me these shorts don't have pockets.'_ She fumbled around the side of her shorts for a second, but there was nothing there. She shot Flip a slightly panicked glance. "I don't have any money."

He looked at her again, somewhat annoyed this time. "Sorry kid. That's the rule."

"But they're your rules. You can break them whenever."

He put his paper down and stood. He towered over Lynn as he casually said, "That doesn't mean I'm going to. Especially for you."

She glared at him. "But I'm on your basketball team."

He laughed as he pressed a red button on the register. "Babe, you lost. Remember? And those customers you promised never turned up."

She looked to the ground. Her fists were clenched, and her teeth were grinding together. "I could just go in there anyways."

He snorted, "I lock it after sunset." He said as he patted the counter. "Ever since those two bozos tried to set up that meth lab in there last month, I learned to take precautions."

She looked back up at him, anger burning in her eyes. "After what I did for you, you're just going to throw me out?"

Flip just shrugged as he counted the money in the $20 drawer. "You're not going in there unless you're buyin'. Them's the rules."

Lynn inhaled and looked up at him, spotting the security camera behind the register. "Then – I guess everyone's gonna want to know about things you do when you think no-one's looking. Like the things you did things to me last season."

He didn't say anything, he just stared at her. "What the frigging heck are you going on about?"

She gave the camera a nervous glance, before clutching at herself shyly and saying, in a much daintier voice that had a slight tinge of southern-belle to it, "Oh, please don't touch me there, sir. It tickles."

He snorted and shook his head, replacing the money back into the register. "Girl, your acting sucks." He pointed to the door as he reached under the counter. "Outside, around the back. Get going and don't come back in."

Lynn looked at him disbelievingly. "You're letting me in?"

"I want you gone, girl. So, get."

"Thank you." She said meekly as she went to the door.

"Oh, and you're off my team." He said as he sat back down.

"What!" She yelled as she spun around.

He didn't bother looking up. "You threatened me, girl, and I don't like that. So, you can use the can if you want, but you're off the Turkey Jerkies, now and forever. And no more free samples for you either." He shot her a smug glance. "And if you go to the cops, I'd suggest a few acting lessons first."

Lynn's face was red as she ground her teeth together. "Well… I don't need you. I've got other teams begging me to join them. How you feel about that?"

"As long as you're someone else's problem," He said, "I don't give half a roach turd."

Lynn stormed out, turned the corner and went to the restroom, which was unlocked. She glared up at the security camera overhead as she walked inside. _'The nerve of some people.'_ She thought as she went into the closest stall, pulled her pants down and sat on the toilet, not even bothering to notice how much filth there was on the seat. _'Who does he think he is? He's gonna throw me away?' I don't think so. Senile old asshole.'_ She did her business whilst imagining everything she was planning to say to his face next time they met, but as she washed her hands in the stained sink, her stomach growled again. She looked at her faded reflection. Even in the cracked, spotty mirror, her cheeks burned. _'God, I'd do anything for a bite.'_ She thought as she reached for the soap, only to find none. As she pressed the button on the soap dispenser with her palm repeatedly, as if that'd make it work better, she thought, _'Although, if I could get him away from that register for just a few minutes, it was the red button, wasn't it?'_

She wiped her wet hands on her shorts, washed the dried blood on her cheek onto her sleeve, and stepped out. She looked up into the security camera, and quickly left its field of view and quickly looked around the building. _'Let's see, what is there around here that's hard?'_ Her eyes fell on the newspaper stand out front, which barely stood on its rickety, rusting legs. It pushed it with her hand. It was light, and old, and very, very hard. _'That could work.'_ She shot a quick look inside; Flip was still reading his paper. _'Alright then, time for me to show you a real free throw.'_ She took it by its legs and spun around with it in her grip. Channeling all of her anger at Flip, her team, and herself, she threw it at the security camera. The thing practically exploded with a loud crack and a small puff of smoke. Lynn could smell ozone, and she glimpsed the camera, hanging by its cable, with several pieces missing. The newspaper stand was dented so much the door would likely never close properly again. Lynn resisted the urge to admire her handiwork. She knew she had to move fast, so she quickly, and quietly, bolted behind the lone gas pump, just as she heard Flip come out.

"Alright, what the shitting…" He grumbled as he opened the door, Lynn was already on her knees, hiding with bated breath. "Oh, fucking hell!" He groaned.

Behind the pump, Lynn's breathing quietly picked up. _'This was a bad idea. This was such a bad idea. What am I doing?'_

"Thanks for nothing, you little rat!" Flip yelled down the road.

 _'He hasn't seen me?_ ' She thought as she peeked around the gas pump.

Flip was inspecting the camera. "Maybe some duct tape here? No that wouldn't…" He tripped over the newspaper stand, and she had to fight the urge to laugh. "Aw fuck, you're going bye-bye. Nobody buys this shit anyway."

She saw him start to drag what was left of the newspaper stand back towards the dumpster behind the store. _'Now. Do it now!'_ She urged herself. At first her legs didn't move, but after another urging she turned and ran into the store. She threw the door open. The sound of '60s rock once again filled her ears as she climbed onto the counter and pressed the red button on the register. The drawer sprang open, and she saw five sections. _'Go for the middle. Just to be safe.'_ flipping up the bill weight and pulling out a fistful of bills. She pushed herself off the counter and just as she turned to go, only to see Flip about to come in. _'Oh shit.'_

Flip pulled the door open. "Kids these... Hey!" He yelled. She moved faster than she ever had before, as he started towards her she ducked and slid under his arms, much to his confusion. He reached for the back of her shirt, but she swiftly maneuvered out of the way. By the time he'd realized exactly what had happened, she'd bolted through the still-open door, turned right and ran, flat out, down the road.

 _'I did it! I can't believe I just did that. That worked!'_ She thought with a grin as she ran, her breath heaving.

Far behind her, she heard him scream. "You little bitch! I'll get your ass for this! When I get you I'm gonna…"

"Shut the fuck up!" Someone from The Waffle House whined loudly, which was enough to start Lynn laughing for the first time since that morning. Flip kept cursing as she ran further away, only for him to eventually be drowned out by the sound of traffic on the highway. She looked behind her, she'd left Flip's Food & Fuel and its avaricious owner well-and-truly in her dust. "Oh yeah, loser! That's what you get for messing with me!" She yelled, and unlike Flip, she got no reply from a disgruntled waffle house patron. She looked down at the cash in her clenched fist, and she took a moment to quickly counted her haul. _'Fifty bucks? No way!'_ She though as she kept her eyes down the road, still lit by the sunset. _'Now if I can just find someplace to eat.'_

* * *

 _Back at the Loud House…_

Lynn Sr., Leni, Luna, Lana, and Lola were all on the couch, watching a movie while Lucy was reading her book in her spot on the armchair. Lisa had gone to her room, simply because she didn't like the movie. Luna had picked, and since her father had asked for something light and funny, they were all watching Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. It was enough to generate some small laughs from everyone except Lynn Sr., who just sat there, with red eyes, a photo of his missing daughter on top of the manila folder on the coffee table. Just as the in-movie conversation drifted to Ted's stepmom, there was a knock at the door. Lynn Sr. paused the movie, picked up the picture and the folder, and went to answer it, coming face to face with a man in a coat. "Hello, Lynn Loud Sr., I presume?" Lynn Sr. nodded as the sisters all watched. "I'm with the police, I'm going to need to ask you a few questions about your son." Lynn Sr. held the door open for the tall, black, plainclothes detective.

"Lincoln's not the one who's missing." Lynn Sr. said.

"Lincoln?" He asked in confusion as he looked at the notepad in his hand. "I thought the missing child was one Lynn S. Loud IV; named after you and your father and so on, I presume."

"Yeah, but she's my daughter." Lynn Sr. said. "I named her after me."

The officer gave him a funny look, but he shrugged. "And that's why we do these interviews. Do you have a recent picture?"

Lynn Sr. nodded and pointed to the kitchen. "Would you like a glass of water, or something?"

"Thank you, yes." And the two went to the dining room, leaving the four sisters alone on the couch.

After several seconds, Lana spoke. "You gonna try and call Lori again?"

Luna shook her head. "No point. Besides, mom told dad she'd swing by and tell her what's happening after she's done at the hospital."

"I hope Linky's okay." Leni moaned.

"He'll be fine." Lola assured her. "He's been through worse."

"That you put him through." Said Lana.

"Yep." Lola answered.

"He walked four miles just because he was worried about me." Lucy said without looking up from her book.

'Little bro's a trooper." Said Luna.

"Hey, Lucy," Lola asked, "Where were you, anyways?"

"Harrow Cemetery. The groundskeeper's house."

"Isn't that place haunted?" Lana asked.

"Not anymore. That whole neighborhood's going to get torn down next week. I wanted one last look."

"That's a real shame brah." Luna said.

Leni shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe they could put in, like, a new mall or something."

"Another mall? Groan."

"Double groan." Luna said. "Who needs another mall?"

Leni turned to her. "I do!" She said incredulously.

"Of course."

"You do too." Leni continued. "You like those rock shops."

Lola snorted. "Wrong kind of rocks, Leni."

"Don't laugh at me!" Leni demanded loudly.

Lynn Sr. poked his head in from the kitchen. "No arguing! Not tonight!"

"Sorry dad!" They all said together, which was enough to satisfy their father. For the next several minutes the only sound was of him faintly talking to the detective in the dining room. Lucy spoke first. "Lincoln said something back there, about Lynn, and I want to know what you think."

"What was it?" Lana asked.

"Yeah, tell us." Said Lola, eagerly.

Lucy thought for a second on how to say what she wanted, and then she opened her mouth. "I asked him why he never hated Lynn for what she did to him."

"Linc's not got a mean bone in him." Luna stated.

"True." Lola commented with obvious disappointment.

'That's not what he said." Lucy continued. "He said he promised a long time ago that he'd never let anything go between them." She paused. "I asked him if she was always like this."

Luna and Leni's gaze both got very distant as she said that. "Go on." Lola said.

"He said no." Lucy said. "Then he said that, quote: 'She was so beautiful...'"

"Aww." Leni said with a smile.

Luna nodded, but she was obviously far away. "Yeah. He would say that."

Lana, Lola and Lucy both quickly looked at Luna. "What's that mean?" Lana asked.

Luna sighed she looked at Lana. "That was years back."

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"Tell us!" Said Lola.

Luna looked to Leni. "You start." She said as she reached down to take off her boots.

"So, like, it all started before you were born." Leni told Lana. "I remember that Lynn and Linky, well, we had two cribs back then."

"The one Lily has and that cheap Chinese POS that broke when you two had your first fight." Luna said to Lola as she leaned back and place her feet on the table.

"So, like, it was me and Lori in one and you," She pointed to Luna, "And Luan in the other."

"I know the feeling." Lola said as she joined Luna in kicking her heels off.

"I never had to deal with that." Lucy said.

"Well, Linc was out of the crib by the time you came around." Luna said. 'Then you two blew up the junk one."

"So, Lori left first," Leni carefully counted on her fingers, "and I left just in time for when Lynn came along. And when Lynn was in her crib, she always seemed..." Leni shook her head. "What's that word?"

"Sad?" Luna suggested, "Morose? Empty? Lonely?"

"Yeah, that's a good word for it." Said Leni, "You and Luan were always, like, doing your own thing. And Lynn, she was just kinda on her own. She didn't cry much. She just… Whenever dad wasn't getting her into sports, she just seemed empty. She'd, like, do things, then go lie down. She always looked kinda lost."

"Really?" Lola asked as she rubbed her soles.

"We tried so hard to make her happy. He got her into sports, so she'd have something to do, and he bought her so many toys and games she barely ever played with. Mom tried too; she got Lynn stuffed animals and stuff."

Luna shivered. "Ya know, me thinks she might've even pulled Fenton out from the attic once."

"Was Bun-Bun one of them?" Lucy asked.

"That was later." Leni said. "She found that on her own when she was, like, three. Anyway, Linky's eleven, so I was, uh…" She held her finger up to her mouth.

"Five." Said Luna. "Lynn was two."

"No, she wasn't. Her birthday is, like, a week after his. She was one-and…"

Lola groaned. "Just round up. It's easier."

Leni shrugged. "So, when Linky came along, dad put him in her crib just to see what'd happen. And she..." She smiled warmly. "She just took to him. She was so happy to have somebody there that even when Luan left her crib, mom and dad said they'd keep them together."

Luna nodded and put her hand up to her forehead. "They were almost always in the same room doin' the same sh… stuff for years, and I don't think she ever did anything to him. She let him play with her stuff too. I mean, Bun-Bun was pretty much his when he left that crib."

Leni, who was still smiling, said, "I remember they always used do everything together." She looked at Luna. "Hey, remember after that Christmas? That time with…"

Luna snorted. "Yeah, I do. That was just after you two were born." She said to Lana and Lola, "Like, a couple months after they switched rooms."

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"You had to ask." Said Lola.

Leni smiled again, "Well, it was just after Christmas, and," She shook her head. "Lynn came in with Linky and she told us she wanted to marry him."

Luna laughed again. "Now that was something. And he was as down for it as she was."

Lola was looking at the two elder sisters as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Wasn't she rough on him?" Lana asked.

Leni and Luna shook their heads. "I don't think so, brah." Luna said. "If she was, I never saw it."

Leni nodded in agreement. "They always used to pull each other into these adventures where they, like, fought off robots or old underpants monsters or something."

"I remember the time they were playing super-villains after we had that _Star Wars_ marathon." Luna said. "For months they were Emperor Lincoln and his right-hand gal, Darth Lynn." She shook her head, smiling slightly. "She always wanted to be Darth Maul."

Leni continued. "I can't remember how many times we caught them in his bed, reading or pretending they were lost in a tent in the woods or something, or sleeping alone on a spaceship."

Lola shook her head. "What's next? You're gonna tell me she wore skirts or something?"

"Only at school." Leni said, which caused both Lana's and Lola's mouth to drop like the stock market. "They made her look good." Leni said defensively.

"As if that explains it!" Lola blurted out.

Lucy's eyes were wide behind her bangs. "That doesn't sound like the Lynn I know."

"She was different back then." Luna stated. "Don't get me wrong, she loved sports. When she was, like, six months old, she somehow crawled up on the couch and flipped the TV on to watch the World Series. But if you saw her when she was your age, you probably wouldn't recognize her. When little brah went to school…" She sighed. "Hey Leni, you remember mom and dad having to pick Lynn up after her first day?"

Leni nodded. "I can't remember how many times that happened either."

Luna turned to Lana and Lucy. "Dad told me to keep eyes on Lynn when I could. I saw her try and introduce herself first day of school, and someone laughed. Teacher had to stop her from running outta class. Next day, she threw a thing at somebody who called her a name." She shook her head. "Whenever she came home everything was cool, but when she went to school, she just sat in the back. And she had to go up in front of class she… well, she lost it."

"Jesus." Was all Lola could think to say. "How'd she ever get over that?"

"I don't know. We tried things, but nothing stuck." Said Leni, who had a remarkably wistful look in her eyes. "She wound up in the special class for a while. After she, like, bit the school policewoman."

"She started getting better in third grade, after she got on the school softball team." Luna added. "She got out in fourth. I remember that much. I don't even know how she got on the team."

"That would be when Lincoln came to school." Lucy stated.

Luna shot her an odd look. "Yeah, it was. 'Bout five years back."

"What happened between them?" Lucy asked.

Luna shrugged. "It's kinda because of you two." She said to the twins. "Linc got moved to the closet once mom had you two, and you and Lori," She said to Leni, "were in your own rooms 'cuz of that thing you were having, so Linc went to the closet."

Leni looked to the carpet. "After that, they got even closer for a while, but when dad helped Lynn get on her other teams they drifted apart."

"She stopped sneaking into Linc's room at night, and she started practicing more and more, and she only ever saw him when she roped him into being her partner." Luna said. "I don't know what happened. You'd have to ask him."

"I… How? Skirts?" Lana began, but she was obviously lost for words. The very idea of the resident tomboy jock even touching a skirt was beyond her.

"I think you broke her." Lola said.

Lucy was silently eyeing the floor, and no-one else could think of a thing to say. As the four sat, watching the sleep-screen on the DVD player, Lynn Sr. led the detective to the door. "Okay Mr. Loud, we'll see what we can do. And don't worry. We've got men all around town. You daughter will be back home before sunset."

"And if you don't find her?"

"Then we'll expand the search to the Detroit metro. It won't come to that, though."

Lynn Sr. nodded without looking up from the floor. "I hope so. Goodbye, officer." The detective nodded, and Lynn Sr. showed him out. He turned to his daughters. "Anybody else hungry? I was thinking of ordering pizza."

"Fine." The girls all said.

"Luna, you want to try and text Lori again?" He asked. Luna nodded and pulled her phone out. Lynn Sr. went into the kitchen, to the phone, and called the local pizzeria. After ordering two cheeses, one pepperoni a garbage pizza for Lana as well as the ever-unpopular pineapple, which he was guaranteed to get to himself.

For the second time that night he found himself quietly brooding by the phone, and for the second time that night he failed to notice one of his daughters silently walk up behind him. She looked her father over, and quietly reached out and knocked lightly on the door to one of the cabinets.

He turned around to see her looking up to him. "Hey, Lana."

"Hi dad."

"You want a garbage pizza?" Lynn Sr. asked. "Don't worry, I remembered."

"Why did you name Lynn after you?" Lana asked while looking directly at him.

Lynn Sr. was taken aback by the question. "What?"

"Why is Lynn named after you?"

"Why do you want to know?"

She broke his gaze, instead looking out the widow over his shoulder. "I'm just wondering."

He thought carefully, until he said, "Well, I always wanted a son. And after Lynn was born, I just… thought it'd never happen. I guess I should've held off just one more time."

"So, her name is what you wanted Lincoln's name to be?"

He nodded. "Is that what you wanted to know?"

"I don't know." Lana answered as she reached up and took her red baseball cap off. "I was just wondering, I guess."" She said before turning and exiting the room, only to spot the manila folder sitting half-off the counter. Since her father had turned away to look for something in the fridge, she nabbed it and beat feet out of the room. Once she was safely in the dining room, and out of her father's sight, she opened the folder.

 _Royal Oak Public Schools_

 _Department of Child Services_

 _Psychological Evaluation_

 _Name: Lynn Loud Jr. Grade: 1_

She looked up, away from the folder, before closing it again and walking upstairs away from everyone else. It was only once she was in the upper hall that she opened the folder again.

 _Reason for Referral:_

 _Lynn is of a concern to her teacher due to her high activity level & low personal control during class. He reports that she is often in constant motion & gets up out of her seat inappropriately, in addition to her multiple dramatic incidents with her peers, which has resulted in physical injury._

Lana looked away from the folder, her mouth hanging open slightly, before looking back.

 _Background:_

 _Lynn is a well-nourished young woman who appears of slightly below average height for the grade. She explained that her family consisted of…_

But she skipped the entire section. She knew it all by heart already.

 _Analysis:_

 _During testing, she was observed as being rather fidgety, always keeping some part of her body in motion. She would rock in her seat, put her head on her desk, rub her hand on her desk and frequently rub her arm, generally looking for something to distract herself. It was evident that Lynn is a youngster who has a high level of activity. She became stressed when left in an unstimulating environment for more than five minutes. She also demonstrates stubbornness and insubordinate behavior, particularly when told to do something by the teacher, i.e. to take her baseball cap off during class._

Lana subconsciously took her cap off as she kept reading, mouthing along slightly to the bigger words.

 _While Lynn was fidgety and distractible during the test session, she demonstrated a remarkable aptitude towards problem-solving when left on her own. She was notably quiet during the questioning and actively refused to answer several questions for no easily defined reason. Her scores in the Retention and Absurdities Subtests were average for her age, while her scores in the Creative Thinking Tests is remarkable, particularly with her solving the nine dots puzzle. She also demonstrated strengths in math, as well as very good hand-eye coordination and reflexes. As such, she needs to be kept active to get the best results from her; she is committed towards accomplishing goals she sets, even to the point of ignoring her surroundings._

 _Socially speaking, she seems stunted. She displays emotions consistent with her age range, but she does appear to have some difficulty comprehending the emotions of others. We have marked down a recommended physician for further analysis. Lynn was observed in the classroom and physical education setting. She doesn't display behaviors that indicate developmental delays in any mental capacity. She performs her tasks in gym exceptionally, beyond the levels of her classmates. In the classroom, despite recurrent fidgety behavior and temper outbursts, she does seem able to attend the expectations presented to her under ideal circumstances._

 _For the most part, Lynn is a caring, alert, and emotional young woman who shows both physical and intellectual potential. She has inhibiting attributes which cause her to have a difficult time in a regular classroom setting, most notably her sensitivity to criticism & peer pressure. She should be given challenging situations in school setting to exercise her full potential, as well as dedicated time-out when required. We recommend, for the time being, she be transferred to a less stressful learning environment. Mrs. Patricia Ryan's class is ideal, because of her expertise in socially impaired cases, as well as preexisting connections, since your daughter Lenore is already in her class. A connection like that could significantly improve Lynn's emotional state._

Lana looked over to Lynn's room, still holding her cap, and she closed the folder and went to knock on Lisa's door. After a second, Lisa answered. "Intrude."

Lana opened the door to see Lisa sitting at her desk working on her computer, a large black desktop model with glowing green lights on it. She switched to its screensaver, pulling a pair of plastic glasses off. "What you working on?"

"I'm trying…" She said as she put another pair of glasses on. "To look into building a search net using the local traffic cameras to help find Lynn Jr. But I assume you aren't up here just to ask what I'm doing."

Lana held out the folder, "What does all this mean?"

Lisa took the folder, opened it and read through it. "It's discussing Lynn Jr.'s issues in school."

"But what does it mean?"

Lisa looked her over for a second before saying, "She's hyperactive, possibly emotionally unstable." Lisa closed the folder. "Nothing too surprising, I suppose."

"Yeah." Lana looked down at her cap. "I got a question."

"Fire away."

Lana puzzled for a second, before saying, "Is there anything that can make somebody change who they are? Like, really, really change?"

Lisa tensed, but Lana didn't notice. "In what context?"

Lana looked up at her, confused. "What's context?"

"What are you talking about? Who are you talking about?"

Lana shrugged. "I just heard something about Lynn." Lisa tensed even more as Lana continued, "Leni and Luna were telling me some stuff about her from, like, back in first grade."

Lisa relaxed. "She was… different?" Lana nodded. "In that case, it's likely just the passage of time. People do change, Lana."

Lana nodded, slowly. "I guess. I just… I remember when she…" She held her cap out. "I'm just wondering how well I knew her."

Lisa thought for a second before saying, "There's a movie, you wouldn't like it. It's about a man whose late wife gets resurrected by something that recreates her using his memories."

"What has that got to do with it?"

"I'm getting there. One of the things the movie implied was that you, me, anyone, can never truly know someone. You're always going to see them a certain way, and that's not like how they actually are."

Lana shook her head. "You lost me."

Lisa sighed. "If I found a way to create Lynn Jr. from your memories, right here, how much like the real Lynn Jr. would she be? How well have you ever known her?" Lana just gaped. "Just food for thought."

"Yeah, I guess. Night, Lisa." Lana said as she moved towards the door.

"Sweet dreams, sibling." Lisa said. It was only until she closed the door that Lisa pulled off her glasses and rubbed her nose. "Sometimes it's like talking to lemurs." She reached for the white pair of glasses on the table and put them on. "Begin journal."

The smart-glasses started, showing Lisa the record icon. "Work on the search network continues, despite some frankly laughable security measures that did hinder progress." She said as she typed. Besides that, I have been thinking about the possible cause of these events, namely their similarity to… that time."

Lisa stopped. "For the record, my family still considers Lynn Jr. to be the instigator of those events." She looked over at the closet. "And yet, if this is happening again, then there are several possibilities that need to be considered. Either Lynn Jr. is this unstable by nature, or 2.8A-66 has potential long term-side effects." She thought for a moment. "Will look into this once Lynn Jr. is found. Right now, that is the primary concern."

* * *

 _Back at the Arcade…_

Helen growled as she dived into her portion of the dishes. "Why we don't have a backup dishwasher, I literally have no clue!"

"I don't know. But right now, it's all on you." Lori said as she returned to her spot at the counter.

The arcade had three kids in it and the restaurant was empty. Lori was fine with that, for once, but just as she was settling in she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned to come face to face with a disapproving man with blonde hair and a brown handlebar mustache.

Lori put on her best smile as she said, "Hi, Gus." The smile was not returned. "What brings you out, sir?" She was quick to add onto the end of her request.

"Just checking," He said with an ambiguous European accent, "to make sure you are not bankrupting me again."

Lori quickly shook her head. "No, sir. Not anymore."

He nodded slowly as Lori heard the door ring. "Just play your cards right young lady. I will be in my office." He said as he left. "And finish those dishes!" He barked at Helen, "I'm not paying you to stand there and look pretty."

"You're not paying me for this at all." Helen said under her breath.

"Hey, do you want to get fired?" Lori asked quietly.

Helen shrugged. "I'm not against it."

"Well, I need this job."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Honey, we all do. I'd suggest if you want to keep it, you go out and make nice with the next brat." She pointed out the window.

Lori shook her order pad got her order pad and went out to the restaurant. A small brown-haired girl with a ponytail had collapsed into the booth closest to the door and sat facing the window. Helen sighed and put her mirror away, grabbed her notepad and pen, and went to the new customer with as wide a smile as she could force.

"Welcome to Gus' Games & Grub! What's your…" But she froze just as she realized who was looking right up at her.

Lynn's reaction wasn't too different. _'Oh fuck, that's Lori. She's gonna know, I need to move.'_ She pushed herself away from Lori.

Lori wasn't quite sure what to do, so she smiled. "Hey, Lynn! Fancy seeing you here." Lynn didn't answer, and she pushed herself further away until her back was literally against the wall. Lori's expression shifted to one of worry as she glanced Lynn's shoulder and the ripped shirt over it. "What's wrong?"

Lynn looked up at Lori, _"_ What are you doing here?"

"I work here, remember?" She said as she pointed to the arcade's uniform.

 _'No. I don't.'_ "Yeah, I guess." Lynn said.

"Well, how was your game? I heard you won." Lori said with a smile.

 _'She doesn't know. Just play it cool.'_ Lynn forced a grin. "Great! Couldn't have been better."

Lori smiled in return and looked around to confirm nobody was asking for attention. "Well, I guess I could take five."

"Do you have to?"

Lori shrugged. "I want to." Lynn settled back into her seat, but otherwise didn't say a word. "You okay?" Lori asked.

"Never better." Lynn dismissively replied.

"Well, if you don't mind me saying, you literally look like you've literally been hit by a truck. You've got some blood on your shirt, by the way." She said, pointing to the white collar of her navy blue shirt.

"Nosebleed."

"And your shirt's ripped."

Lynn glared at her. "Are you done?"

Lori raised her eyebrow. "I thought you'd be out celebrating."

 _'Fuck me, she's prying.'_ Lynn shrugged. "I didn't feel like going out with my team."

"Why?"

"Just 'cuz."

Lori tentatively nodded and didn't say anything. The two sat in awkward silence for a minute as the song on the radio ended. "97.5 FM, now playing, Taylor Swift."

Lori to ground her teeth together. "Well that's ten then!"

"What?" Lynn asked.

Lori listened for the beats, but they didn't come, instead she was amazed when she heard banjos. "Wait, this isn't that one…" She listened, and snapped her fingers. " _Mean_ , yeah. The one the play every year for the anti-bullying thing."

"What are you talking about?"

Lori shook her head. "Sorry, it's just that there's this other song of hers they just love playing, _Wildest Dreams._ If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this song while working here, I literally wouldn't need to work here." Lynn wordlessly looked away. "Lincoln loves that song, doesn't he?" Lori asked.

Lynn nodded as she listened to the song.

The two sat there for a minute, wordless. Lori couldn't help but notice that Lynn was rubbing her right arm with her left hand, which was something that made Lynn look much, much younger in her eyes. "We don't talk much, do we?" Lori asked.

"What about?"

"Things. You know? I just realized, I can't remember the last time we ever talked about anything."

Lynn glared at her. "I do. It was about bread."

Lori's face fell. "Oh yeah." She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry about that."

"Uh-huh."

"I am, you know. It was just…" She started twiddling her thumbs. "Well, it was that time."

"What are you talking about?"

"I was literally on my period and, well, I overreact whenever..." Lynn shuddered, which did not go unnoticed by Lori. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Will you stop asking me that?" Lynn barked.

Lori's mouth was half-open in confusion. "You want anything? Maybe I could get you a pie, but I can't be sure. I'm kinda in over my head with the boss over freebies."

Lynn looked up at her and didn't immediately answer. After a second she slid a ten towards her. "Meatball." She said.

"Right you got money. So, a pie with one topping, that'll be $11.66, including tax." Lynn slid an extra ten by her without a word. "And you like Coke, right?" Lynn nodded. "Be right back." Lori said as she went back to the kitchen.

Lynn was alone as she listened to the song finish over the PA. _'Damn. Lincoln does like that song.'_ She looked to the table as she felt memories of her brother flood her mind, and tears flood into her eyes. _'Don't cry. Not here. Not with Lori around.'_ She thought as she reached for a napkin to quickly wipe them away.

 _'I should get out of here.'_ She thought, but she didn't move. _'Now. I need to go.'_ But again, her legs did nothing while her she felt a twinge in her soles. _'Well, I guess five minutes. My feet really hurt.'_

Back in the kitchen, Lori turned to one of the cooks. "Hey Bob, could you cover for me? I need to make a call."

Bob shrugged. "Fine."

Lori ducked to the back o the kitchen and turned her phone on, only to be greeted by a dozen texts and five missed calls, all from home.

"Jeez, where's the fire?" She asked herself as she pressed her speed dial for home.

After it rang twice, Luna picked up. "Hey, Loud House." She said.

"Hey, Luna."

At the other end of the line, Luna quietly asked, "Lori? I thought your boss didn't allow cell phones."

"I'm out back. I just wanted to know, is everything alright? Lynn just turned up here. Her clothes are ripped and she's literally acting like she's six again. What's going on?"

Luna was so shocked she nearly dropped the phone. "Did you just say Lynn's there?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't she be out with her team?"

But Luna didn't hear her. She had taken the phone away from her ear and turned towards the dining room. "Dad! It's Lori! She says Lynn's at the arcade!"

Lynn Sr. rushed in to rip the phone form Luna's grasp. "Lori, did you say Lynn Jr.'s there?"

"Yeah?"

"Well don't let her out of your sight. I'll call your mother and let her know. Whatever you do, don't let her leave."

"But why? What's going on?"

Lynn Sr. struggled to find the words. "She attacked Luan and Lincoln."

Lori's jaw almost hit the pavement. "You're joking. She won her game, didn't she?"

"I don't know the specifics. Look, just keep her there."

"Okay." Lori said as she walked back towards the front of the kitchen.

She heard him take a deep breath. "You've done this before. Remember back in fourth grade?"

"Dad, that was literally years ago."

"I know, I know. Just do what you can to keep her calm. Stay out of her way and above all else – don't let her leave."

Lori took a second to catch her breath. "Okay. How do I do both?"

"Work it out. Can you see her now?"

Lori peeked around the wall and saw Lynn still sitting there. "Yeah. She's here."

"I'm going to call your mom, she just got out of the hospital and can be there in ten minutes."

"Holy sh…"

"Lori, keep Lynn there." He said firmly.

"Okay, okay. Bye dad."

"Be careful." And then Lori hung up.

She stood for a moment, doing her best to comprehend the dump-truck's worth of information that her father had just dropped on her. She took a deep breath and told herself, "Okay, Lori, you can do this. You've talked her down before."

She took another moment to prepare herself before looking over to see Helen giving her a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing. Family trouble." She said as she went to Lynn, who still sitting, her hands tightly clasped on the table. Lori sat down opposite her and took a moment to really study her. She noticed several things she hadn't before, like how dirty her hands were as she clutched her bills, or how pasty her skin looked, or how the sleeves around her elbows were frayed like her shoulder, and the skin beneath rubbed raw and flicked with pieces of asphalt. Lori felt something in her as she saw the suspicious, slightly primal look Lynn was giving her.

 _'She's looking at me weird._ ' Lynn thought.

Lori couldn't help but see Lynn, six-years-old, hiding under the teacher's desk, hugging her legs against her chest, giving her that exact same look. Lori took a deep breath and did her best to remember her best-older-sister-ever training. "Lynn, what's going on?"

 _'Oh, fuck me.'_ Lynn clenched her fist around her leftover dollars and started to shift in her seat, moving towards the edge.

"What's up?" Helen asked from the serving window.

"Nothing." Lori said. "I'm just gonna have chat with my sister." Helen's face fell, and she ducked back into the kitchen to watch with the cooks from the window. Lori looked at Lynn, with a gaze that was too warm to be judgmental, yet too cold to be sympathetic. "What's wrong?"

Lynn started rubbing her arm again, "I… I don't…"

Lori sighed. "Don't do that."

"I can't help it."

"Stop scratching." Lori ordered, which was enough for Lynn to pull her hand back. Lori did her best to soften her expression as she said, Lori shook her head, "Lynn, I want to help you, but I can't unless you talk to me."

Lynn looked up at her. "I… I can't."

Lori noticed Lynn's hand was lying on the table, and she quickly, but not roughly, took it before Lynn could react. "I need you to tell me what's wrong. Then we can work this out."

"I don't know what to do." Lynn mumbled.

Lori focused on what Luna had said when Lynn was under the desk years earlier. "Lynn, everything is gonna be alright. Let me worry about that stuff." Lori said as she rubbed Lynn's palm, "Just tell me."

Lynn took a deep breath, "My game. I…"

"You lost? I thought your team won."

Lynn shook her head. "They… They did. Without me."

Lori blinked, as she obviously tried to work it out. "So, they kicked you out, the they won the game. And then?"

"And Luan, she was there. She kept trying to help and…"

"And what?"

Lynn looked back down at the table. "She's bad luck." Lori's expression darkened as Lynn said, "I thought she was bad luck."

"And?"

Lynn's voice cracked as she said, "And she started telling me how I suck and…"

"What did you do?"

Lynn took another deep breath. "I pushed her." She closed her eyes. "I pusher her and she fell and hit her head. And I… I… I killed her." Lori's mouth fell open as Lynn continued, "And then Lincoln came with mom and I… she was gonna hurt me, so I tried to get away from her and…" She felt her eyes get teary as she said, "I hurt him, Lori." She scrunched her eyes closed. "I couldn't help it! I didn't mean to!"

Lori was silent as she looked over the mess that was her little sister. "Lynn, Luan, she's…"

"I promised…"

Lori blinked. "What?"

Lynn felt her eyes get teary as she said, "I… I promised. I promised I'd be there for him. And… And I hurt him." She looked down at her lap.

Lori closed her eyes and did her best to remember what to say. "Lynn, this whole good luck bad luck thing, you have to let all that go." Lynn looked up at her as she said, "You can't keep dwelling on that."

"Lori, I promised." Lynn said, "I told him I'd be there, and I…"

Lori shook her head. "Lynn, it's just words, nothing more."

Lynn shook her head. "I hurt him. He trusted me. Don't you get it?" Lori didn't answer immediately. "I… I can't. L… He'll never forgive me."

"He forgave you when we locked him out, didn't he?" It took Lori a second to realize that what she'd said didn't help, so she quickly added, "Lynn, trust me, he's forgiven me for a lot worse."

"But I promised. I told him I'd be there, and I hurt him. I don't wanna be that girl."

"Well, if you don't, then this whole thing with bad luck and the softball gods, it literally has to stop. Tonight." Lori said as she leaned over to look Lynn right in the eyes.

"But… I can't. If I don't make them…"

"Just look at it." Lori continued. "It's done nothing for you. You've hurt people because of it, and it made you do all this. There's no-one there."

 _'I... I'm alone? No. I can't be alone. They've gotta be there. And if they're there...'_ Lynn looked up at her, panic in her eyes. "No, I didn't. Luan! She was bad luck!"

Lori recoiled slightly. "Lynn, you're in denial. just look at it from where I am. It's all on you."

"It's not. I'm better than that. I have to be."

Lori shook her head. She knew that things were going in circles, so she took the direct approach. "Lynn, be reasonable. Luck has nothing to do with this."

"Then what does?" Lynn asked. "What's wrong?"

Lori took a moment, but she couldn't find a way to say it. "I hate to say it, but you need to hear it. Lynn, you're not as good as you think you are."

Lynn's mouth fell as she stared at Lori, before looking back down at the table. "Please go away."

Lori shook her head. "Lynn, you have to hear this. You think you're perfect, and you can't admit that you made a mistake. You need to stop, you need to accept that you made a mistake, and you need to fix this. For you, for Lincoln, and for everyone."

"Shut up."

"I want to help you, but you literally have to do this yourself. It won't stick if I do the work."

"What do you care?"

Lori rubbed Lynn's hand again. "I do care. I care about you."

Lynn looked back up at her with big, glassy eyes. "Then why did you hit me?"

"I told you. I was…"

"You hurt him too." Lynn realized out loud.

"What? This isn't about me, this is about…"

"You locked him out too. You could've helped him."

Lori ground her teeth together as they heard the rain pick up outside. "Lynn, we're not talking about that. I've hurt him, I admit it. We're talking about what you've done to hurt him."

"I never hurt him before!"

Lori glared at her, and she finally decided to speak her mind. "Really? Funny, you've literally been roughing him up and kicking him around for years."

"So, I'm trying to toughen him up. He never complained!"

"No, he didn't, not to you, because you literally never listen." Lynn tried to pull her hand away, but Lori held firm as she said, "Lincoln tells me things, Lynn. Things no-one else gets. And he's been so frustrated with you and how you act around him anymore. He keeps wondering if he should just give up on you."

"Shut up!" Lynn yelled. "I don't owe him anything! I'm me! I'm always gonna be me! I want to be me! I'm not gonna be anybody else for anyone!"

Lori slowly shook her head. "You're broken. And if you still think you're right, after all of this, then you're gonna have to deal with the fact that literally nobody is gonna want to be anywhere near you." Lynn couldn't find a response for that, she just sat there with her mouth open as Lori said, "Now, you need to hear this. You've been living in your own little fantasy for too long. It's your fault he got locked out. You started that."

"But you could've stopped it." Lynn retorted. "You. Mom. Dad. Luna. Nobody did nothing. You hurt him just as much as me."

"But at least I acknowledge it." Lori almost shouted. "You've been messing him up for years without noticing. It's like breathing, you're always doing it, even when you don't think you are. This is just the end result of all of that."

"You're wrong."

"Am I?" Lori took a deep breath as she felt her face burn. "Do you want to know why we avoid you anymore?" Lynn didn't answer. "It's because we realized we can't win with you. Win or lose, you literally act like a crazy person. When we threw that game to teach you a lesson, you could've just gone in your room and cried. Everybody would've felt sorry for you if you did, but no. You had to throw a tantrum and show everyone just how fragile you really are."

"Shut up." Lynn mumbled.

Lori ignored her. "Face it, Lynn. You're a loser. A loser who's so obsessed with winning that it nearly tore our family apart. And you literally won't shut the up about it either, just to remind yourself and everyone else that you are still that good."

"I won my 304th board game win at home without rubbing it in anyone's face! I can lose if I want to."

"Yeah, about that, let's not forget after that, you went outside and had a party to remind yourself how awesome you were."

"Shut up." Lynn said clearly.

Lori shook her head. "I'm sorry if that makes you feel uncomfortable, but this has been a long time coming. And you need this. When you're older you'll understand. t's called tough love."

"If you love me why'd you hit me with a baguette?"

"Would you stop?" Lori snapped. "Enough with the bread already!"

"Fuck you!" Lynn screamed. "You hit me just because I thought we were out of goddamn bread!"

Lori snorted. "Well, you just bit your brother because you can't accept you're not as good as you think you are." Lori grabbed Lynn's hand again, this time without any comfort in her grip. "And you're coming home, whether you like it or not."

Lynn glared at her. "Let me go."

"Not gonna happen." Said Lori, all the warmth in her voice gone.

"I tried to be nice, but you don't seem to like that. So, this is how it's gonna go. You're coming home with me and mom. I tried to be nice, and I thought we could do this like adults, but I guess you just want it the hard way. Beacause you're acting like a bigger baby than..." But Lori stopped, and it wasn't because of the withering look Lynn was giving her. Lori had just noticed the sots of red dripping on the table. Lynn's nose was bleeding again in a steady red flow. "Lynn…"

"What?" She growled, oblivious to her nosebleed.

Lori didn't answer immediately. The way Lynn was looking at her reminded of an animal at the zoo that had once cannibalized its partner in its cage. The blood was not helping. "Your… You're bleeding." Lori said as she put her free hand up to her own nose.

Lynn felt the blood flow, and looked back up at Lori, and Lori could see more than just anger in her eyes. Lori could tell that Lynn was scared. Suddenly, without warning, Lynn screamed at the top of her lungs. Lori flinched back, her hand coming up to cover her ear as Helen came through the door, wide eyed. Bob and his other cooks were looking at the two of them open-jawed, much like the young preteen couple who had left the arcade to see the commotion. Lori tried to smile, but Lynn was still bleeding on the table. "This isn't what it looks like."

"What the hell is going on here?" A German-accented voice from the back, which caused Lori's eyebrows to shoot into her fringe in panic. Gus came from the direction of his office, a pair of headphones dragging behind him. The moment he saw Lori sitting across from the bleeding, screaming little girl, he yelled, "Loud, you are fired!"

"Mr. Gus, sir! This isn't what it looks like! I can explain!"

"I don't care!" He said as he shot the preteens a quick glance.

Lori took a deep breath, but she didn't let go. "Sir, she's my sister and she's been…"

But Gus put up a hand. "Did you not hear me? Maybe you can understand this if I say it again, you are fired!"

Lori released her grip on Lynn out of pure shock. "Sir, I was just…"

Gus shook his head. "I have no tolerance for behavior like this in my arcade, under any circumstances!" He made a show of pointing to the door while keeping one eye on the camera. "Leave, immediately!"

Lori moved to speak, but Bob and Helen pointed to the preteens. Lori looked over and saw that one of them was recording the event on his phone. She hung her head, realizing she was never going to win him over, and turned back to see that Lynn was no longer there. She looked to the two nervous looking boys. "What're you looking at?" She said as she passed them on her way out, causing both to wince. Lori stepped outside and ignored the rain as she dropped her popcorn bucket hat to the ground. "They're literally never gonna let me hear the end of this." She said as she saw Vanzilla coming down the road. She flagged it down, and as it pulled up next to her, she saw that the only person inside was Rita. Lori opened the passenger side door and clambered in, she was already soaked. "Hi mom, where's Linc?"

"I left him at the hospital." Rita said in an especially tired voice. She turned to Lori, with a determined expression on her face. "Now, where is Junior?"

* * *

 _St. Rosato's Community Hospital…_

Lincoln was paler than normal, and the bags under his eyes had only gotten worse. His hair was as disheveled as his clothes, which were still marked with dirt from back at the cemetery. But what stood out the most was the fierce bruise on his cheek that was the same color as his jeans.

Needless to say, Lincoln was not smiling as he sat in the corner of the waiting room, staring at the floor as he tried to figure it all out. He wanted to be alone, and even through the room was mostly empty, the receptionist shot him glances over the monitor every couple of minutes, just to make sure he was fine. Despite that, he couldn't quite bring himself to stand until an ambulance pulled up, and an orderly rushed out, talking very quickly about a man who had been the victim of a mugging. He pulled himself out of the dry old blue chair and he walked around the corner to where the vending machines were just as they carted the man in on a stretcher.

It was as he looked up and saw the empty hall that he realized there was truly nobody there. He took a deep breath, and said, "Well, for those not in the know: Luan just got patched up, and they're putting her in a room for the night." He walked to the machines. "Mom wanted to take me home, but…" He sighed as he pulled out two dollars, which he put in to get a pack of Oreos. "I told her I wanted to stay and keep an eye on things. You know, like a good brother and all that." The cookies came out fine, but the thing didn't give him change back. "Come on you piece of…" He kicked it, which predictably made his foot hurt. "Oh, nice thinking!" He hissed to himself through gritted teeth as he got his cookies. "Is anything gonna work right today? At all?" But the machine didn't do anything. Lincoln scowled. "One day! That's all I want! One day where my sisters don't decide to go completely off the walls and make my life miserable! Is that too much to ask? One frigging day?" He almost-shouted as he ripped open his cookies and tore into one. He was walking back to the waiting room, halfway through his second when he stopped. "Lynn…" He said with his mouth half-full. He swallowed and continued, "She's… She's gone, isn't she?" He shook his head. "She's been gone for years." He reentered the waiting room, only to stop again, "But… Just… When we got there, she was normal. Maybe it was just 'cuz of that hold she was in, but… Maybe she's…"

He slapped the side of his head in a vain attempt to restart his brain. "What's going on with her? C'mon, think. You've known her for this long. What's going on in her head?" His phone rang. He pulled it out, and he saw that it was Rita. He took a deep breath and answered. "Hey, mom."

"Hi sweetie." His mother said, and he could just hear the exhaustion in her voice. "How are you doing? They get you patched up?"

"Yeah. Luan's still getting looked at. You're talking on the road?"

"I'm at a light."

"You didn't get her."

"How did you…?"

"Lucky guess." He said as he sat back down. "You gonna come back?"

"Yeah." She answered. "Not for a few. Lori and I'll check around, see if we can find her."

"Okay, I can wait a... minute did you just say Lori's with you? I thought she's at work."

"Lynn was at the arcade." Rita said. "Here, I'll put her on."

But Lincoln was barely paying attention as Lori picked up the line. "Hey Linc, how are you?" Lori said with enough alarming tenderness to shock Lincoln back to reality.

"You said Lynn was there."

"Ugh." Lori groaned, which confirmed to Lincoln it was her on the phone. "Don't get me started. First she…"

Lincoln dropped his cookies. "Holy shit." Lincoln said.

"Did you literally just…" Lori began, but Lincoln cut her off.

"Sorry! Look, do you know that, like, canal that's past the main power lines? With the big storm drain?"

"No. What are you even…"

Lincoln looked at the clock. "How long ago was Lynn at the arcade?"

"Ten minutes. Now, what are you saying? You're not making any…"

Lincoln looked out the front door. "I know where Lynn is. I can get there."

"What? How?"

Lincoln didn't answer immediately. "I just know. Listen, wait for me to call. I'll bring her home."

"Wait. Let me put mom on…"

"Bye Lori!" He said loudly as he hung up and ran toward the automatic door, to the protests of the receptionist. "Take care of my sister!" He yelled as he ran out into the rain. "She's gotta be." He said under his breath as he reached the road, looked both ways, and figured out he needed to go left. "She's gotta be there."

* * *

 _'I don't wanna be here.'_

The rain was now coming down in steady sheets. It wasn't too furious, but it was raining thoroughly. Lynn pulled her arms close to her chest as she kept walking. She didn't have a destination in mind, she just was letting her legs take her someplace.

 _'I wish I was in bed.'_ She sluggishly shook her head. _'No. Stop. That's not going to happen, I should just admit that now. Lori's right. Everyone's gonna have my hide for what I did.'_ She shivered. _'Lori told you what's gonna happen. Mom's gonna take you back, put you on something, and take everything away from you to fix what you did.'_ She put her head in her hand and rubbed her eyes. _'Why? Why did I do that? It couldn't have been the wrong thing to do. It felt right. Why would it feel right if it wasn't?'_ She shuddered as she remembered. _'I can explain it to her, can't I? Mom and dad will understand.'_ She could feel her body telling her to go back to sleep. _'My entire life blown to pieces because of a bloody nose. Mom's gonna take pity on me for that. Luan's gonna…'_ She stopped moving as she recalled her last encounter with Luan. She remembered how she wasn't moving, or breathing. _'I… I… didn't I? She hit her head, and she's gone. 'Cuz of me.'_

But then she saw something that made her stop in her tracks. She was halfway across a bridge over a large cement canal. _'This is it.'_ She thought. _'I was here with Linc on my bike. How'd I even get here?'_ She spun around, but nothing else was familiar, as far as she could tell in the dark. She walked to the railing and looked down. There was an embankment underneath the bridge on either side of the canal proper, and there was a set of stairs a short way away.

 _'What the fuck am I even doing? I can't see Linky again. Not after that. He's not gonna want to be anywhere near me after what I just did.'_ She shook her head. _'No. Lori's right. I can't fix this and I'm not gonna see him again.'_ She felt something familiar well up in the pit of her stomach. _'Why does everything I touch just fall apart? What's wrong with me?'_ She pulled her hand up to her arm. _'I don't want to be alone.'_ She let those words settle in her mind for a moment. _'I want to see him again. What's the point if I can't anymore? I want to go home again. I don't care about the games. I just want to see him.'_ She felt something familiar well up in her stomach as she pulled her arms close to herself. _'Luan might… It wasn't that bad.'_ She shook her head. _'She couldn't die from that, could she?'_

She looked up at the sky. "Could she?" No answer. She made one last attempt to control herself, but it did nothing. She sniffled, and then she begged. "What do you want? Take it! All of it! I don't want to be like this anymore! Please! J-Just… Just…" She felt like she was burning up. "Just let her be alright! Please!"

 _"Don't cry. It's not me. It's not… It's me. It's all my fault. I did it. I hurt her. I killed…'_ She'd been holding back her sadness for far too long. _'I want to see Lincoln. I just want to be with him again. I want to hear Luan and her puns again. I just want to tell her I'm sorry. I don't care if I ever touch another ball ever again. I want it to be good again. Is that too much to ask?'_ But nothing happened. She was nothing more than a little girl, wrapped in self-loathing as the downpour continued unabated. _'What's wrong with me? I killed her. And I hurt him. I was supposed to be there for him, help him, love him. He trusted me, and I let him down, just like everyone else. I hurt everyone I know.'_ She sniffled as she looked down at the cement walkway twenty-feet below, _'And… That's it, isn't it. There's only one way I can fix this.'_ She grabbed the railing and did her best to pull herself up, which would've been easy if it wasn't raining. She put her arms out as she looked down and saw wet cement of the embankment.

 _'If I land on my head, maybe it'll be quick.'_ She closed her eyes, and her balance started to shift. _'I deserve this. I gotta pay for what I did.'_ But just as she was about to lean forward, she heard something over the rain. _'Is that… Lincoln?'_ She spun around, but it was the wrong thing to do. She slipped and fell backwards, just catching a glimpse of orange and white in the dark as she fell with the rain.

* * *

 **CLIFFHANGER**

 **But yeah, Luan isn't dead. She's got things to do later.**

 **This chapter, by itself, is more transitional. It's a brief interim between the emotional sledgehammer of 3 and what's to come in 5 and 6.**

 **One of the things I have gotten comments on is how this is an NSL story where Lincoln ends up _defending_ Lynn's behavior, which surprised me. Still, it makes me happy to know I can at least put some kind of spin on the idea.**

 **The backstory composed for Lynn did, perhaps predictably, take a few cues from my own personal history, but in a vastly different context. But my experience does inform my view that Lynn has problems running far deeper than what the show (particularly "Middle Men") has portrayed them as being. And this story is meant to examine those ideas in ways the show probably never could.**

 **Lisa's part was a total tease, I admit, but it will be addressed next chapter, so stay tuned!**

 **The Lynn/Lori argument was an... interesting part to write, and it does serve as a basis for their relationship in future chapters.**

 **The part with Flip will come back to haunt Lynn too, as will the last decision she made in this chapter.**

 **Regarding the rewrites, just to provide context, since I published Ch. 3 I have rewritten 80% of Ch. 5 & 60% of Ch. 6. And I'm happy with the results so far.**

 **Another thing I forgot to mention was that I honestly do believe Lincoln's middle name should be Grant, both as a salute to Grant Palmer and just for the Civil War joke. Plus it sounds nice.**

 **Also: Can anyone else see Lynn loving the _Mission Impossible_ movies?**

 **Listening to: _Sober_ by _P!nk_**


	6. As I Recall, Love

**Author's Notes: I was honestly amazed by the reception that the last chapter got. I'm so grateful for all the feedback and all the support. Thank you all so much.**

 **This was a big one. I wound up going through several versions of this to get it just right, and I think it's everything I want it to be.**

 **I realized that the most important thing was that Lynn and Lincoln would get a chance to talk things out, so it was all engineered to get to this point.**

 **I hope it was worth the wait.**

* * *

Vanzilla was stopped at a red light, and the silent anger between Lori and Rita was palpable as they waited. Rita drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as Lori was checking her phone. "Any luck?" Rita asked, looking at Lori with half of her face framed in red.

Lori just shook her head. "I've got literally nothing." Rita scowled and pressed the gas just a second before the light turned green. "I'm gonna call dad."

"Don't." Rita said. "He can't help and that'll just make him worry even more."

'But he deserves to know, doesn't he?"

"Yes, but not now." Rita replied. "We focus on finding them first."

They were quiet for a minute after that as Lori continued checking her phone and Rita drove. Then, unprompted, Lori said, "Mom, I'm sorry."

Rita sent a quick glare over to her before looking back to the road. "Lori, she was right there."

"I know."

"And if you had held onto her…"

"We literally wouldn't be here." Lori finished. "Look, I don't want you to be mad about…"

"I'm not mad. I'm disappointed." Rita said, interrupting her. "I expect so much better out of you."

"Why are you blaming me?" Lori asked, throwing her hands up. "She is the one who started all this."

"Your father told you to keep an eye on her. He thought you could handle it."

"And I did until she literally started screaming." Lori said, leaning up against the door. "And then Gus came out and fired me and in the ruckus I…" She put her head in her hand. "She just slipped out." She looked out the window as she said, "I needed that job, mom. I was already in hot water with Gus over all those freebies from a while back and…" Lori's expression darkened. "And then she just came in and got me fired."

Rita cast her another glance as they pulled up to another red light. This one was far warmer. "Lori," Rita began, "Here's bit of life experience: Some bosses are just going to keep looking for a reason to fire you. And they'll take any excuse to…"

Just as she finished Lori's text alert went off. "That might be about Lincoln." Rita said quickly.

Loir looked down at her phone. "No. It's from…" Lori faltered. "Becky."

The light turned green, and as Lori checked her messages Rita pulled the van into a Gas Station and parked. "What is it?" She looked over at Lori, who was sitting and staring at the phone in her lap. "Lori?" Rita prompted her. At that, Lori looked back up at her mother, and Rita could see the tears building in her eyes. Lori held the phone out to show her mother. Rita looked down to see a blurry picture of Lori sitting opposite Lynn in the arcade booth, Lynn's nose bleeding. Underneath was a sloppily written message which Rita could see was not friendly in any way. The words that stood out the most were the last three.

 **We R thru**

Rita looked back up at Lori, who was just starting to cry. "Lori…" Rita said as soothingly as she could, "You… We can explain this tomorrow." Lori shook her head. "But they're your friends. They'll listen to you."

"No they won't." Lori moaned.

Rita sighed. "Let's deal with this later. Right now, we need to find Lincoln and Junior. They should be…"

"I would've been fine if she never showed up." Lori mumbled.

Rita reached over to give her a rub on the shoulder, which Lori took as an invitation to fling her arms around her mother. "There, there." Rita said quietly. "Things will be alright if we just…"

"We'd literally be better off if she never existed." Lori said into her mother's shoulder. Rita looked down at her, unsure of what to say. But Lori pulled out of her hug, and behind the mascara tears Rita could see the anger she was feeling. "She literally ruined my life." Lori said in a shaky voice. "And what else has she done? She nearly killed Luan."

Rita looked away for a second before saying, "She hit Lincoln."

"Mom, she locked him outta the house." Rita snapped back to look at Lori, but she couldn't think of anything to say to that. So, Lori continued. "And she keeps smacking him around and stuff."

"Yeah." Rita whispered.

You know Lincoln used to talk to me literally every night, right?"

"Wait, every night?"

Lori shook her head. "Not every. But we talked, like, maybe once a week. He told me how he felt about her."

"And what did he say?"

Lori took a deep breath. "He told me he misses how she was, remember?"

"Back when she kept causing trouble at school?"

"He told me he wished she would lose all the sports and just pay attention to him again."

Rita thought for a second before saying, "We're putting her things away. That's for certain."

"Mom, these sports are not literally not helping anything." Lori argued. "And she's always gonna keep going towards it unless we get rid of them. She's literally an addict."

Rita gave Lori a shocked look. "Lori, don't you think that's going a bit far?"

Lori shook her head. "Mom, look at how much she ruined today. She deserves it."

"You want to throw them out?"

Lori shrugged. "How much money have we wasted on this?"

"Lots." Rita replied.

"And she's done nothing to earn any of it."

Rita thought for a second before saying, "It… It might help. She needs to be punished for this."

"And after that we can fix her." Lori said. "She needs it, mom."

"Maybe…" And Rita took a second to imagine how it could work. She remembered a time from years before, just after Lincoln and Lynn moved rooms, and they'd fallen asleep cuddled together. She had never seen them that close since, and she knew that couldn't happen anymore. Not unless she did something. "Let's find them first. Then we'll go home and figure this out." Lori nodded and sat back in her seat. "You want anything?" Rita asked as she pointed to the convenience store.

"Maybe some coffee." Lori said. "It's gonna be a long night."

"I'll get you a soda if they don't have any."

"Fine." Lori said as she checked her runny makeup in the rear-view mirror.

Rita sighed, and opened the door to walk to the store. But as she did, her mind kept wandering. She knew what she wanted Lynn to be, and she knew that Lynn was nowhere near what she wanted.

* * *

 _I wake up on the couch. The TV's just showing static, and the lights are low. I'm okay. It was all just a bad dream. Right now, I'm warm and dry. I sit up and look around. It's late out and nobody else is around. Everybody else must be asleep, but I hear crying. I look around, but no-one else is there. I stand still, and I try to figure out where it's coming from. It takes me a few before I figure it out. It's coming from outside. I go to the kitchen, to the back door and whisper outside. I ask who's there. He asks me to let him in. I ask again, but I just hear more cries. It's Lincoln. I'd know his voice anywhere. We locked him out again. No. Not again. I unlock the door and pull, but it doesn't open. It won't budge an inch, and Lincoln keeps crying. I tell him I'm trying and that I'll be there in a minute, but he keeps crying. I hear him at the front door. He's saying it's cold out. I run over and try to pull the door off its hinges, but nothing works. I start pounding on the door, ready to break it down, but it doesn't move. I keep punching and yelling that I'm going to get him inside until my fists are covered in red. I start groaning in pain and I shove my bleeding knuckles into my shirt to just try and stop them. I hear him again; he's upstairs. I run to his room, then my room, then Lori, Luna and over and over but I can't find him. There's nobody here to help me. I scream and throw anything I can at the walls. I'm yelling to tell him where I am, and I keep trying to break down the walls to get to him. But nothing works. Not a single thing. I scream again. But I still hear him, now downstairs. I plow through the wreckage into the living room. He's on the TV, his hands pressed up against the screen, looking for me. I grab it, hoist it over my head, and bring it down onto the floor as hard as I possibly can. It shatters like glass, but he's not in there. I hear my name, and I look over to see him out the window, staring at me out from the dark. I run over and press my bleeding hands onto the glass. The blood runs down the panes as I tell him I'm trying everything to get him in, but nothing works. He just looks at me funny, and he starts crying. He pounds on the glass, and it doesn't give. He's screaming for me to let him in. And then I get it. I lean up against the bloodstained glass as it all hits me. I locked him out. I locked everyone out._

 _He's not locked out there, I'm locked in here, with the mess I made._

* * *

Lynn stirred to the sound of rain, but she quickly realized she didn't feel anything. She opened her eyes to see something dark and blurry above her. _'What the hell was that? That… Nightmare. Again? Why am I still getting freaky dreams?'_ She groaned and sat up as she rubbed her eyes. _'Where the hell am I?'_ She could hear the rain, but she didn't feel any of it, so she looked around and saw that she was under the bridge, on the embankment between the angled wall and the almost overflowing canal. The rain was as heavy as it was before, if not heavier, and there was a chill running through the air that made her curl her arms towards her chest and shiver. _'What happened? Who…'_

"Hey, Lynn."

She looked over at where the voice came from and saw someone sitting with his legs crossed on the cement, silhouetted against the streetlights that just barely lit under the bridge. She could just about see his white hair. "Lincoln?"

"Yeah."

"Wha-What happened?"

"You fell. Into the canal." He pointed out at the rain. "I came down and pulled you out, and now..." He put his arm down. "Here we are."

'H-How long?" She said as she rubbed her head. She could feel that her hairband had slipped out, and her hair now hung around her shoulders in thick wet sheets.

"Twenty, thirty minutes, I think."

"Where's mom? Or dad or…"

"Hospital, probably. I wanted to call her but..." He threw his now-bricked phone onto the concrete, "I forgot this thing isn't waterproof." Lynn looked at the ruined smartphone, before looking back up at Lincoln.

The two didn't move for a second, but then Lynn smiled for the first time in hours, and she laughed. Lincoln smiled too. After a second they were both chuckling. "All…" She began, "All your planning and you forgot to keep your phone dry?"

"Oops." He said with a shrug. "It's just one of Lori's old hand-me-downs. No big loss."

"You can get a new one, right?"

He nodded. "And then I'll brick that one too. Maybe I should get, like, a baggie or something. Really should've done that ahead of time."

She chuckled again, until the weight of it all hit her once more. Her face fell, and she looked back toward the ground. "Why are you here?"

Lincoln stood and stepped further into the faint light; his shirt was gone, but Lynn noticed the dark bruise on his cheek more than anything else. "We gotta talk."

She looked away from his gaze. "Lincoln…"

"I wanted to talk to you since this morning but…"

"How'd you find me?"

"A hunch, I guess. We were here once. Remember?"

She shook her head and looked out at the rain. "What's to talk about?"

"About Lucy."

Lynn shot him a confused look. "Lucy? What about her?"

"About this morning. Remember?" She shook her head. "You said something to Lucy and you hurt her feelings. I swore to her I'd talk about it with you when I got the chance."

"I… I don't remember. She was acting weird earlier, but…"

"You called her a freak."

Lynn looked away again, and watched the water flow down the canal as she said, "I don't think it matters anymore. Not after…"

"Lynn, it all matters." He said. "I want to know why you said that."

Lynn didn't answer right away. Truthfully, she didn't know. "I… I was just sayin'. It's…

She felt a hand on her shoulder, which turned her back. "C'mon. Look at me. Please?" So, after a second she did, and she was face to face with her worried little brother. "You really hurt Lucy's feelings, and I want to know why."

She shook her head again. "I dunno, okay? I just, I said it and she just started whining and…" She turned away from him, "She always finds something she hates about me."

"So…" He said cautiously, "It just came out?"

"Yeah."

Lincoln thought for a second, before saying, "You need to come home."

"Why?" She asked roughly.

"To apologize to her, at least. You owe her."

Lynn scoffed and stepped away from him, walking to the other side of the bridge. "Owe her for what? That she can't take a joke?"

He shook his head. "Lynn, this isn't a joke. Lucy… She hated you. She felt like she couldn't deal with you any more."

"What do you want me to say? Sorry that her feelings got hurt?"

"Maybe say sorry that you hurt them?" He asked back. "And don't do it again?"

Lynn shook her head and looked out at the rain. "Trust me. I won't. I won't even talk to her if she's gonna act like that."

Lincoln blinked, and thought for a second. "That's not good enough." He said, causing her to turn around.

"What?"

"You kept telling us you'd get better before." Lynn opened her mouth to argue back, but Lincoln continued, "Every time we keep coming back to this. She was scared that you'd keep using that against her. Ribbing and teasing and making her feel worse."

"Well, she needs to toughen up." Lynn answered. "Tell her to grow some thicker skin."

Lincoln's face, and his shoulders fell. He knew this was coming, her usual excuse for roughhousing him. He sighed. "Lynn, that's just an excuse. You aren't acting like this to help anyone."

Lynn snorted. "Oh, really?"

"You just admitted you don't know why."

Lynn opened her mouth to argue, but she quickly realized he'd caught her, so she just scowled. "And what did you do about it?"

Lincoln shrugged. "I… I thought it would fix itself. It's just a phase, and I thought you'd get better."

"Well, fuck off. I don't need you." She said, turning around to look at the rain instead of facing him.

Lincoln's mouth fell. "There you go again. Every time I try to help you, you keep pushing me away. Don't you want my help?" Lincoln's expression soured, but he took a deep breath. "You make it so hard for me to care about you. You know that, right? The past few years it's like you don't care about anyone but yourself." She didn't answer, she just pulled her arms closer to her chest and stared at the cracks in the cement. "I remember back when I made that promise. I remember you back then too." He smiled. "You… You were so cool. You were always there whenever I wanted to go do something or read or… You know?"

"Times change." She said without turning around.

"But I remember how much I loved you. And how much you loved me. All those nights we spent just thinking of things we'd do when we got older…" Lynn closed her eyes as he spoke, trying to stop the memories he was bringing up from touching her that deeply. "Why can't we be like that again?"

She didn't answer.

"But nowadays…" He sighed. "It's like you don't love me at all."

Lynn shook her head and looked back at him. "Of course I love you, dumbo."

"Then why do you keep hitting me?" He asked. "Or calling me names and stuff?"

"I told you. You need it."

"Well," He began. "Congrats, it worked. Lesson learned. I don't want you to be that anymore. You can stop."

"No, you don't." She pointed out at the rain. "You gotta learn how to deal with that. The world ain't gonna baby you. It'll chew you up and spit you out and laugh at you for it. Don't you see?"

Lincoln stared at her before saying. "You know what I see? I see that you're still blaming everyone else for whenever you fail."

Lynn was at a loss for words, before reaffirming, "That… Luan…"

"Lynn," He said, interrupting her, "Stop. There's nothing she did to you that justifies that."

Lynn shook her head. "She ruined me!"

"How?" He asked, throwing his arms up. "Lynn, it's just a game."

"No, it wasn't." She said, turning away from him again. "She… She made me bomb in front of everyone, Lincoln."

"Who cares about them?" He asked. "So, you had a bad day, everyone does."

"Lincoln, I told you." She said over her shoulder. "If you don't keep it going everyone's gonna just…"

"I get it!" He yelled, before recomposing himself. "I've heard it all before. You've been telling me it's all part of some lesson you've been trying to teach me."

"'Cuz you're naïve." She snapped.

"Well, that's fine. That's my problem to deal with. But this? I've had enough of this. I don't give a damn about those lessons. I don't want you to be this way anymore." He sighed. "I want my sister back."

"What do you care who I am?" She said with far less venom than she could muster. "You haven't cared for years."

Lincoln looked taken aback until he said, "I saw this a while ago, back when it started."

"And you did nothing." She said.

Lincoln was taken aback for a moment, before realizing that she was deflecting. "I'm not perfect but…"

"Where were you?" She all but yelled as she spun back to face him again. "You said you'd be there for me no matter what."

"Yeah, I did." He said, "But…"

"So, why didn't you help?" She asked. "C'mon, you're trying to play Mr. Man-With-A-Plan. Look in a fucking mirror and tell me what you see."

Lincoln felt the anger build in his chest, but he kept a lid on it as he said, "Lynn, you always do this. You always try and shift the blame…"

"Answer me!" She said.

"Because I was scared of you!" He yelled, which made Lynn's anger evaporate on the spot. "When I was out there, I realized that I couldn't deal with you anymore. But… But I didn't want to leave you behind. I never wanted to just give up on you, but I was so scared, 'cuz if I ever reached out for you again, I'd get hurt." He looked at the ground. "I knew it. So that's why I didn't do anything. I figured I could wait it out, tray and help when you needed it. And I just kept hoping you'd get better on your own and… I guess that didn't happen. I should've tried to stop it. I know that now." He paused, before continuing. "But you didn't care about me. I tried so many times to help you, and you never noticed. You just kept on… Well, taking me for Granted, I guess." He chuckled, once. "But I promised I'd be there. That means something to me, Lynn. I don't even remember what the heck I said, because it's more than just words.

"But it's like that meant nothing to you. It's like you forgot how much you meant… How much you mean to me." He looked back out at the rain. "And every time you kept getting mad at me over something, and every time you threatened me, it kept hurting me because it always felt like you were going somewhere I couldn't. When I was trying to sleep out there, I kept seeing you." She turned and stared at him, mouth agape. "I kept feeling like it was your fault. You put me out there, and you didn't care anymore. But I just kept hoping. And Lucy, when she told me about this morning, I finally wondered if you were still there at all."

After that, Lincoln was silent, and Lynn pounced on the opportunity as she could feel the weight of the day start to ease down onto her. "This is your fault."

Lincoln's mouth fell, "What?"

Lynn took a deep breath. "If you were there maybe Luan wouldn't be in the fucking hospital. Did you think of that?"

And with that, Lincoln's expression darkened. "Yeah, it would've been me instead." She moved to retaliate, but he kept going. "When I got locked out I had a long fucking time to think it over. I avoided you 'cuz every fucking time we talked I loved you less and less each time. When you roomed with me, when you went nuts over a fucking board game, it's like you were trying to strip out everything that made me love you.

"Oh, so now you don't like it when I pay attention to you?"

He shook his head. "I didn't even recognize you. It's like you woke up one morning with some asshole behind the wheel. And I thought for a while that it was just you, that you changed. But I know that's not it anymore. Something's making you act like this, I can feel it."

Lynn clenched her fists. "You asshole."

"Lynn, this is burying you. That's not you talking. That's all the things you're telling yourself, so you don't have to admit it. Maybe you're just scared of losing, but I don't think so. I know there's something underneath."

Lynn glared at him. "Who are you? You're trying to tell me who to be?"

Lincoln shook his head. "Lynn, I know you."

"Well, maybe not!" She yelled. "I'm me! I'm not gonna change for anyone! I worked my way up here, and I'm not gonna throw it out just to be that… that… that perfect sister you want me to be!"

Lincoln didn't move, until he said, "Lynn, you're just being stubborn. You've always been stubborn."

"Yeah. So?"

"You stopped being a good sister a long damn time ago, just 'cuz you wanted to be a winner. You threw everything we – not you, we – had out just to satisfy your ego. You hurt Lucy, you hurt Luan, and you hurt Lori all to try and cover up the fact that you blew it. And I'm the selfish one?"

Lynn shook her head. "This is me! I'm the real deal! I'm not gonna get on my knees and be the prefect sister just 'cuz you want me to! I don't need your approval for how I act! You expect me to throw all my dreams and all my trophies away, just so I can take care of you and give you fucking hugs and kisses like we're fucking five again? Fuck you!"

At this point, Lincoln was seething, and his teeth ground as he said, "Did you ever hear that story about the Scorpion and the Frog?"

Lynn blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Lincoln took a deep breath, "It's a story. There's a scorpion that needs to get across a river, and she meets this frog."

"Yeah, go figure."

Lincoln ignored her. "So, the scorpion asks if the frog can carry her over, and the frog says he doesn't want to 'cuz the scorpion might sting him." Lynn opened her mouth to speak but Lincoln kept going, "But the scorpion says that if she did, they'd both drown, so the frog carries her over that river on that promise." He took anther breath, "And halfway the scorpion stings him, and the frog asks why. Do you know why, Lynn?"

Lynn shook her head.

"She said, 'It's in my nature.'" He put his arms up. "And they died."

Lynn scowled. "I… I'm not the scorpion."

"No, you're not. But you're acting like it. Like you can't help it when you hurt others." He glared at her. "Luan, Lori, Luna's scared sick over Luan, and mom and dad and everyone else are all worrying about us right now." He shrugged.

Lynn just stood there, mouth agape until she said, "No. No that's not true."

"You asked me to come to your game for you, and then you got me locked out for it. And now you've gone down too. Is that who you wanna be, Lynn?"

Lynn shook her head. "Wrong. You're wrong. I'm not that. I can stop whenever I want to. I can lose."

"I never said anything about losing." Lincoln stated.

Lynn ran her hands through her damp hair. "I… I'm not fucking animal. I'm better than that. I don't… I…" She growled. "Why the fuck is it so hard to find the words for this shit?"

"Lynn," He said, "You can't do this on your own anymore." He said, taking a step towards her. "But I'm here, I'm listening, and I know how to help. I just want to know why."

Lynn turned away again. "Just… Just go, Lincoln. You're not helping me."

"I came to help you. And I'm going to help you."

"Lincoln, please stop." She begged him under her breath.

"All that stuff, when you hit me, when you went nuts over that board game, when you started…" He looked down, "When you said I was bad luck, and all this. Lynn, it's not you." He pointed at her breast. "I don't know what it is, but something's making you do this, and I don't know why."

She looked at the ground. "I… Lincoln, I need to keep the softball gods happy. If I don't…"

"Lynn, there's nobody up there." He said. "This is just one of the things you came up, so you don't have to admit your mistakes. They don't exist."

She shook her head. "No. They have to. They're the reason I lost. It's gotta be. I can't be that bad. It's not my fault." She looked away, "It's not my fault."

"If it's not, why were you gonna jump?"

She looked back. "I… I had to pay them back. I thought she wouldn't die if I…"

"Lynn, you don't really think that." He said. "It's guilt. I can see it in your eyes. There's no gods involved. You just can't admit you wanted to kill yourself."

"Don't say that!" She said. "If I did Luan might be okay. But now…"

"She's fine." Lincoln said. "Or, she will be fine. So, your gods didn't want you do that anyway."

"Why won't they fucking talk to me? I keep asking but…" Lynn shook her head fiercely. "Why don't they ever help?"

He took another step forward, and she winced back, staring at him. He knew what was coming.

"You… You're…"

"Bad luck again?" He finished for her. "Lynn, that's bull, and you know it."

"Stay back!" She said, throwing her hands up. "Go away, please!"

Lincoln slowly shook his head, "Lynn, why are you locking me out again? What could be so…"

But just as she asked Lynn scrunched her eyes closed and slapped her hands over her ears, so she couldn't hear him. "Don't talk like that. Please."

"Lynn!" He said loudly, "I'm done sweeping this under the rug! We're gonna figure it out if it takes all..." But he stopped as she turned and ran out from under the bridge. Lincoln's eyes went wide and he moved to follow her, only to see that she'd stopped when she felt the weight of he rain down on her shoulders.

' _I'm running again.'_ She thought. _'Just… Run away and hope I can try again somewhere else, is that it? Is that the best plan you got?'_ Her head fell. _'You're leaving him after you locked him out so many times, and now that he's in you wanna leave and never come back.'_ She pulled her arms close. _'But… What am I gonna do? I can't lose it all. What…'_ But then it hit her. She realized what she'd been feeling all night, what Lincoln had been trying to pry out of her. _'I… I got nothing. If they take my sports away, what have I got left?'_ And after she realized that everything else fell into place. _'_ _I blew it. I blew my own life to fucking pieces, just 'cuz I was so scared of losing it.'_ She almost chuckled at the irony, but the weight of guilt started bearing down on her. _'And… I hurt people, just to try and cover my ass. This… Who… What am I anymore? How did I even get here? I didn't used to be like this. Who did I become to try and save myself? What kinda girl locks her brother outta the house? What kinda girl kills her sister over a game? Is that what I am? Do I even deserve what I kept fighting for after all this?'_ He hand went to her arm again. ' _It doesn't matter if I run or not. I'm not gonna… It's gone. My life's gone and even if I just keep running, I'm never gonna make it back. It's either own up to this or just keep running forever.'_

She looked down the canal. It stretched on for miles, dark and empty. _'And what's out there? More misery? More bridges to sleep under? If you're gonna suffer, may as well not do it alone I guess.'_ She turned and looked back at Lincoln, the only familiar thing she could see. _'But… But… I dunno. I dunno why it's… I'm scared.'_ She realized. _'I… Is that what it is? I'm scared? But… I've felt that for years. I was scared when I lost that board game, and when…'_ She closed her eyes. _'I… I called him bad luck. I felt it. I was… scared, and it made me wanna throw him outside. What am I even scared of?'_ She stared at him and shivered. _'I… I'm cold.'_ And with that, she slowly shuffled back under the bridge.

"Lynn, you wanna know how I knew I could you here?" Lynn slowly nodded. "It's because I know you. Probably better than you know you. For as long I can remember you've been here."

"I rode my bike here once." She mumbled. "It's just a place."

"We were here the day after your first big game. Remember? When your team won their first season?"

"I… I guess. We had pizza."

"We went to the arcade, and then home along this road."

Lynn smiled, but her eyes were still somber. "Yeah."

"Do you remember how you felt then?" She didn't say anything, which in itself said yes. Lincoln took a deep breath. "Lynn, I had a lot of time to think about this while you were out. This… This isn't you. I know you. You're better than this. Something's wrong. Something's making you act like this."

"Why do you even care?"

"I promised. And I still love you. I know you didn't want to hurt her, just like you didn't want to hurt Lucy. But it happened, and we need to figure this out."

Lynn looked out at the rain as thunder rolled in the distance. "You still… After all that? After I k…" She closed her eyes and tried to wrap her head around that one word.

He looked back at her. "What were you gonna say?"

She took a deep breath. "Luan. She wasn't… She fell, and she hit her head. She wasn't moving."

"Lynn, she's not dead." Lynn looked back at him with wide eyes as he told her, "She's at the hospital. She's just got a concussion."

Lynn almost smiled in relief as she said, "I didn't… I thought she… She's okay." Before the realization hit her, "I still hurt her. I could've killed her. I…" She turned away to look at the rain again.

"It was an accident, wasn't it?"

"I pushed her." Lynn said. "She just kept talking… Lincoln, it hurts when I think about what she said."

Lincoln nodded, slowly. "Lynn, something's wrong."

Lynn shook her head. "I… I'm fine." She said almost reflexively.

Lincoln shook his head. "Lynn, you're not. If you were fine, we wouldn't be here. I want to help fix this." She didn't reply, she just instinctively kept rubbing her arm. Lincoln stared at her, before carefully saying, "You're scared, aren't you?"

She blinked at him, and nodded.

"Back when you lost that board game?"

Lynn nodded.

"And… You were scared enough to lock me out?"

"But you didn't help that." She said limply.

"No, I didn't." He stated. "But in my own defense, does that justify locking me out? At all?"

"Lincoln, I… I never wanted to do that to you… But the softball gods..."

"Remember your first big game?" Lincoln asked. "The last time we were here?"

She nodded. "Y-Yeah."

"Remember when you hit those four homers?" She nodded, with the faintest of smiles on her lips. "That was you."

"What?"

He smiled. "That was all you. You did that on your own. That wasn't luck, and it wasn't because of any dumb gods. You were so good that you did that without anyone's help. And now... Something's broken. Something's getting in the way."

"I…" She began. "I'm sorry." She said under her breath. Lincoln just stared at her as she said, "I'm sorry I… I called you bad luck. I wish I never did and…" She closed her eyes. "And every time I think about it… I keep wondering what kinda sister would do that?" She looked back at him. "That… That's all I can do. I can't…"

"No, it's not." He interrupted. "You can fix this. You can never do it again. Today was worse. And if all you can do is say sorry…" He shook his head. "If you don't feel like fixing this, then I guess... I guess you're not that girl I knew."

Lincoln sighed. "When I heard about what was going on with Lucy and then Luan… I had to see. I had to know if you were the sister who made a promise or…" He looked down. "Or if you'd really become that girl that wanted to leave me outside."

Lincoln…" She moaned. "If I could go back and fix it, you don't think I would? But I can't." Lynn looked down at the ground. "I… I… I can't be that anymore. I don't need you to help me. I'm not that girl anymore, and you're gonna have to accept..."

"But…" He continued, "But when I saw you outside that field," He smiled, "there you were. Just for a second. Maybe it was 'cuz of that choke-hold or whatever, but I saw you again. I saw you remember that promise we made, and you hugged me like you haven't in years." He stroked the side of her face. "It's like all of the bad things never happened. And I realized what was wrong. You're still in there, I saw it. Beneath all the pressure and obsessions and superstitions. That girl's still in there, you just don't want to admit it. But whatever's happened has just taken you over."

"You're wrong. I'm fine." She said weakly. Even she could tell that was her last line of defense.

Lincoln just stared at her.

"I'm fine." She repeated.

Lincoln kept looking, his brow furrowed, and his eyes solemn.

"I'm fine." She said again, her voice slightly cracking.

Lincoln just kept giving her the same look, before he asked, "No you're not. You're not even close to fine." Lincoln stared at her for a second as she looked at him, her eyes as watery as the rest of her. "Lynn…" He began, his gaze carefully studying her as he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm fine. J-Just stop looking at me like that." She said as she turned away. "I don't wanna be anybody else. I wanna be me. I want… I want…" She looked down, and suddenly, the dam inside her quietly burst. "I wanna be somebody."

"What?"

She shivered as she said. "I… If I lose all this… Who am I gonna be?" She took a shaky breath and said, "If I lose this I don't know how to be anything else."

Lincoln took another step closer. "Yes?"

"And if they take it away what…" She sniffled. "What's gonna be left? It's all I am, Linc." She looked down at her shirt, "This." She clawed at the fabric, "If it's gone," She pulled it off, so she was bare from the waist up, like Lincoln, "I don't know what to do anymore." She clutched it and held it out to him. "Don't you see? It's all I got. And if it's gone…" It slipped from between her fingers. "I'm nothing."

"You're not nothing." He told her, "You'll always be my sister."

"I don't know what to do. I don't know what's gonna happen to me. It's like I'm gonna die and nobody's gonna care."

Lincoln shook his head, "I care about you. More than you know."

"B-But I'm a monster. Aren't I?" She said as she started scratching her arms again. "I'm that scorpion. That… That's the real me, under all my sports and those fucking excuses. What kind of girl attacks her sister? Or throws her brother out in the cold? Or keeps trying to beat him up?"

"Lynn, you're not a monster. If you were a monster you wouldn't feel this way."

"But I'm nothing without my games." She said. "It… It's what I always dreamed of and if it's gone…"

"Lynn, you're so much more than that."

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry for all the things I said. All the things I did. I want to take it back, all of it. I never wanna ignore you or threaten to hit you with a stupid bat or…" She took another wet, shaky breath, "I never wanna kick you out again." Lincoln stared as she went on, "I… I just… I don't know what's wrong with me."

Lincoln walked close to her, put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I forgive you. But I can't say the same about everyone else."

"I don't wanna be…"

"What?"

"I don't wanna be that girl."

"What girl?"

"T-That girl that everybody's scared of." She said in between sniffles. "That crazy g-girl that's so fucking dumb she hurts people without knowing." She closed her eyes as she felt the tears coming. "T-That girl that needs to go back to the special class 'cuz she…" She took a deep, shaky breath. "'Cuz she can't stop hurting people. I… I'm too good for that, aren't I? I'm too good to keep fucking up."

"Lynn, no-one's that good."

She shook her head. "I was! Wasn't I? I'm number one. Nobody can hurt number one, right? Like that song, if I made it to the top, I thought it'd all just stop. They couldn't hurt me if I'm number one, can they?"

"Nobody's bulletproof."

She looked away, "But why is it still so scary?"

"Scared of them?"

She nodded. "Every time I go out there it's… it's like I never know if they're gonna cheer or laugh at me. If they kept cheering, if I kept winning I'd be safe. I thought I made it to the top I couldn't hear them or they'd shut up or something." She turned to look at him. "I just wanted to make you guys proud of me. I wanted you to… To see how everyone loved me. They loved me for that." Her eyes fell, "And… And that's all I ever tried to be. "

"Lynn," Lincoln said as he got close to her, "Those crowds don't matter. We… I wasn't proud of you because people kept cheering your name. I'm proud of you for telling me this. I know it hurts."

"I can't be that bad. I can't. I was going to the Olympics someday. I had to keep it going. But whatever I do to try and get there, it…" She stuttered, "It fell apart. It keeps falling apart. No matter what I do. It's like I break everything I touch." She looked down at her shoes. "I don't wanna be…"

"What?"

"The bad guy." She was just able to finish before her knees gave out and she finally started freely sobbing in front of him, all her emotional armor finally falling away. Lincoln didn't ask anything else, but he did walk up to his sobbing older sister and got down next to her. It was only then he realized just how small she was. She wasn't really any taller than him.

"Lynn…" He asked carefully, putting his hand on her cheek. "What happened?" She looked up at him with a small moan. "There's gotta be a reason you're like this."

"What?" She croaked.

"Did someone do anything to you?" He asked. But she shook her head. "Or did something happen? There's gotta be a cause…"

"No."

"Are you sure?" And to that she nodded. "Then how…"

"I dunno." Lynn said. "It just… happened."

And after a second Lincoln understood. "Day by day. That's all it takes." She nodded again at that. He wrapped his arms around her bare waist and pulled her close. "C'mon, Lynn. Let's go home."

"No." She slurred as she half-heartedly tried to claw his arms away. "Mom and dad, they're gonna take it away. I'm not gonna have anything anymore."

Lincoln nodded. "It's a good thing, Lynn. Just for a little while, until we can get this all fixed."

"But it's all I got." She mumbled. "I can't do anything else. I don't wanna be just a nobody. I don't know what else I can do."

"Lynn," He said, cutting her off, "You've been running this race on your own. Right now, just let me figure everything out." He rubbed her hair, "I'll carry you if I have to."

"No." She moaned. "I… I… I don't wanna..."

"What?" Lincoln asked.

"I don't want to be…" She took a deep breath, "I don't wanna be a princess."

Lincoln took a second before asking, "What do you mean?"

She shook her head and looked away. "I don't wanna be that girl that can't take care of herself. That's always gotta be rescued by somebody. I wanna take care of myself. I don't want to be weak or helpless or…"

"Lynn, do you trust me?"

She looked up at him. "I…" But she realized that he'd found her, he was helping her, and he was holding her, which made her feel far warmer inside than she'd like to admit. "But you're gonna change me?"

Lincoln paused. "I want to help. I swear I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to. But you need to let go of all this. It's hurting you, Luan, mom, dad, and everyone else. Sometimes you need someone to pick you up."

"Take one for the team." She said under her breath. "'Cuz they got your back."

He nodded. "I should've used more sports analogies. Oh well."

"I'm too dumb to get anything else."

Lincoln smiled. "Lynn, you're much more than that." He pointed at her chest again, "There's so much in here, we just gotta fix it. We can figure out what to do with everything else later, but right now is what matters."

"I don't know if I can."

"This is poisoning you. And you need to let go of it all. Just for a little while, until we can figure all this out. But I need you to do this. I can't help if you don't let me."

"But what'll everybody…"

"Forget them. I don't care about them. I care about you. Let them say what they want."

"I don't wanna be useless."

He smiled, "Lynn, even if you never play another game again, you're still always gonna be the bravest, most daring, most awesome big sister there ever was."

She looked up at him and smiled, with wide eyes like a girl half her age. "Really?"

He nodded. "You just… You need to pick yourself up and dust yourself off." He sighed. "The party's over. Let's just go home and..."

"We could leave." She said. "We can go someplace. We don't need to go back. We can just… just… be together."

Lincoln looked down, and didn't speak for a moment before finally saying, "Lynn, we gotta face this."

"But mom's gonna take you away." Lynn said quietly. "She doesn't want you near me anymore."

Lincoln took a deep breath, which Lynn could hear through his skin. "I won't leave, no matter what she says. It's gonna be hard, but I'll be here. I left you once, and I won't leave you again. I'll keep you safe."

"Please don't tell them."

"About what?"

She shivered. "About the bridge. I… I don't want them to know. They won't understand how it feels..."

Lincoln thought for a moment, before saying, "I won't. I swear." He crossed his heart, right in front of Lynn's eyes. "It's our secret, and I'll never ever tell."

"Thank you..." She said as she curled into his chest as she remembered what she'd tried to do. "I... It's like I'm falling. And there's nothing there to stop it."

"Lynn," He whispered. "If you're falling, I'll catch you. I promise." She moved to say something else, but Lincoln again interrupted her. "Don't speak." He said as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Please."

Lynn almost did. It was an order, a thing that was telling her what to do. She hated orders. She always disobeyed them, no matter who was giving them, just because somebody was telling her what to do. But this didn't sound like one. It was too gentle, and she felt that maybe he was telling her it'd be best if they were quiet. _'Maybe,'_ She thought, _'Maybe I don't need to say anything. Maybe it'll be alright. Yeah. Talking's… overrated.'_ So, she just closed her eyes, buried herself in his chest, and let her mind get fuzzy. _'Where did his shirt go?'_ As she shifted, her ear went over his heart. _'His skin's so soft. I just… I wanna…'_

Lincoln looked out at the still driving rain, but he felt her weight shift in his arms. He'd just turned back to look at her when, to his utter disbelief, she kissed him. Lincoln was so shocked that she was able to push her tongue into his mouth without even trying. His first instinct was to push her away and wash his mouth out in the rain, but he caught himself before he did; he knew that wouldn't help. His sisters had kissed him before, as had his mother. Ronnie-Anne had smooched him, as had Paige during their brief fling, so he could deal, right?

He quickly realized that kiss was nothing like any of those. It was deep and carnal not in the same zip code as platonic. He could already feel spit, he wasn't sure if it was his or not, slobber down onto his chin. Lincoln could also just taste the memory of her throw-up from hours ago. But somehow, though all the roughness and awkwardness that was setting his body ablaze, he realized that it didn't quite feel like he'd expect from her.

If he'd have guess how she kissed, he'd guess that she'd be impatient, like she was conquering something. But even though she was sweeping her tongue over his chipped tooth, she wasn't forcing herself onto him or knocking her teeth against his like his first kiss with Ronnie-Anne. It was slow, passionate, and almost instinctively confident. And then he realized what didn't make sense. Beneath the drool, the dry lips and the bad breath, her technique was flawless. It remined Lincoln of rediscovered masterpiece; covered in dust and mold, with faded and chipped paint, but still perfect. And when she finally pulled back, pulling a trail of spit that bridged his tongue to hers, all he could do was stare at nothing in absolute astonishment, his mouth marked with her saliva.

She'd fallen asleep with her arms wrapped possessively around his waist like he was a giant stuffed teddy bear she'd won at a carnival. It was as if she hadn't just used the last of her energy to tongue her little brother in a way that Ronnie-Anne or Paige had never come close to. He was still breathing heavy as he put one arm around her. He saw her lightly smile when he did, and that hit him right in his heart more than anything. She trusted him. Lincoln looked out at the rain as his eyes felt heavy. Tomorrow's problems could wait. He let the rainfall lull him to sleep before he could think too hard about how good a kisser Lynn was.

They were both still fast asleep when a police car drove over the bridge and spotted a dirty orange shirt tied on one of the railings, and they didn't wake when the police officers searched the area and found them both under the bridge, still curled up together.

* * *

Leni was in the kitchen, making hot chocolate while lost in thought when the door opened. She quickly made her way to the living room to see an exhausted Rita being assaulted with questions by Luna. The night had obviously taken its toll on her. Her eyelids were heavy, and her lipstick was long gone.

"We've been waiting all night mom!" Luna said.

"Where's Lynn?" Leni asked quickly. "Is Linky okay? Where's Linky? You said he…"

Rita put her hand up. "Girls, you're not helping. My head hurts already. Now, where's Lynn"

"I thought she was missing!" Leni exclaimed.

Rita shook her head. "No. Where's your father?"

"Upstairs, reading Lana a story." Luna stated. "Fat lotta good it's doing." She said as Lori silently walked in the door and closed it.

"What happened?" Luna asked.

Rita looked up at her with eyes more stressed than Luna had ever seen. "They found her, and they're both at the hospital."

"I wanna see her!" Leni exclaimed.

"I wanna see Luan too." Luna said as well.

Rita shook her head. "You're both up late enough as is."

Rita shook her head. "You're all up late enough as it is, and I won't let anyone else get lost tonight."

"I can't sleep." Said Lucy, who was sitting on the stairs.

Rita flinched, and her hand went to her heart. "Lucy, please, not tonight."

"Sigh. I'm not even trying."

Rita moved towards the dining room, where she sat down on one of the chairs. "Somebody get Lynn, I need to speak to him, and I can't stay long."

"I've got this." Lucy said, as she stood and went upstairs.

"Mom, what's wrong with Lu?" Luna asked.

Rita looked to the ground in sheer worry, so Lori had the honor of telling her. "Doctor said she's got a concussion."

"Holy shit." Said Luna.

"And some kind of pressure due to blood buildup." Said Lori. "They said we should let her rest for a couple of weeks. She's staying over for the night."

"Oh no." Leni moaned.

Lori, nodded solemnly and turned to the dining room, where her mother had her head in her hands over a stack of half-empty pizza boxes. "And I'm sorry, I know my problems are literally not the worst thing in the world, but…" She growled, "Lynn got me fired, too."

"How?" Luna asked.

Lori shook her head as walked to the couch. "My boss saw me with her when she was bleeding and there were some kids there recording it and he wanted to look like a great owner even though he's an asshole and I literally don't want to be anywhere near pizza, I never thought that could even happen!"

After a long pause, Leni commented, "I guess we could, like, throw it in the fridge for laters."

Lori nodded. "Yeah, laters." Just as she sat, her father came downstairs and made a beeline right for her. "Alright! What happened?"

"Dad, what's…" Leni began, but their father was undeterred.

"You didn't call for hours. What the hell is going…"

"They found her!" Leni squealed, which got him to stop.

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank god. She's fine."

"I'm sorry, what?" Rita asked, looking up at him. "She's fine?"

Lynn Sr. blinked. "Uh, she is fine, isn't she?"

Rita stood up. "She nearly murdered one of your daughters. You call that fine?"

"No I…" He sputtered.

"Junior just attacked Luan, hit Lincoln, ran away and got Lori fired from her job, and you think she's fine?"

"She got you fired?" Lynn Sr. asked Lori.

Lori nodded. "literally." She said with a slight crack in her voice.

Rita huffed. "So, she nearly killed her sister, got her other sister fired, and put my son in danger."

Lynn Sr. looked at her in disbelief. "What? He's at the hospital, isn't he?"

Rita took a moment to realize Lynn Sr. didn't know. "He was missing for over an hour. He ran out to find her."

Lynn Sr. was suitably shocked, but after a second he smiled. "He brought her home?"

"Aww." Said Leni.

He nodded. "That's my boy."

Lori and Rita were dumbstruck, until Lori took over. "We need to deal with Lynn."

Lynn Sr. looked back at her. "What?"

"She's gone too far this time." Said Rita. "We need to fix this. We should've done it a long time ago."

Lynn Sr. was suddenly reminded why they were there. "She… I'll ground her."

Lori scoffed. "For how long?"

Lori glared at Lori. "Lorraine, let me." Lori sighed and crossed her arms as she stood off to the side.

Rita took a deep breath. "Lynn, this can't go on. Not anymore. We've given her far too many chances to change and she has never gotten any better."

"So what are you suggesting?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"We fix her. From the ground up. We've wasted far too much on her, and everything she is is built on this... stuff, so we'll try and start over. No more games or sports or anything like that."

"Take her things away?"

Rita nodded. "That stuff has hurt people. If she has it, then she's a danger. We take it away, we can try to make her better after she's quieted down."

"So where are we gonna put it?" Leni asked.

"We're literally taking all her junk to the thrift shop tomorrow." Answered Lori.

At that Luna and Leni both looked at Lori in shock. "Lori, that's like, totes not funny." Said Leni.

"I'm not kidding." Lori said, before nodding towards Rita.

Everyone's gaze went to her, and Rita just looked at the floor and said, "She's been acting like this ever since she got involved in these… sports." She looked up at them. "I do not want to risk this ever happening again."

"But mom!" Said Leni, "That-That's her life. It's, like, all she's got in the world. You can't just get rid of it."

Lori opened her mouth to argue back, but Rita silenced her with her hand. "So what is it going to be? She's nearly killed Luan, and she was willing to let Lincoln die just over a sports game. Who's going to get hurt next?"

"Honey…" Lynn Sr. said, "We need to get her help."

Rita nodded. "That's not going to be enough. You're gonna actually have to think about what to do with her this time, Lynn. She's gone too far with this."

"Are you implying something?" Lynn Sr. said.

"Yes, I am." She said bluntly. "You are always too soft on her. No matter what she does and who she does it to."

"She's my goddamn daughter!" He yelled. "She's your daughter too!"

Rita ground her teeth together and replied, "Well, she just attacked Luan and Lincoln, and she got Lori fired, as well as wasting lord knows how much money at a hospital. That adds up, Lynn!"

"Please stop fighting!" Begged Leni.

"I know! I do work for a living. What are you suggesting?"

"We're going to fix this, Lynn! She's gone too far, and I'm not letting her off again. I want change! This thing with the sports clearly is not working! So, we fix her! We start from scratch if we have to!"

"Guys! Please st…" Luna tried to say, only to get bowled aside by Lynn Sr.

"You can't throw out her entire life." He said. "Rita, you're overreacting."

"She could've literally killed Luan." Lori said. "We should've done this after the last time she was going on about this bad luck nonsense."

"I don't know what we were thinking." Said Leni.

"Me neither." Rita said as she looked to Luna. "What do you think?"

Everyone turned to Luna, who was looking at the floor. After a second she said, "She hurt Luan. I'm not gonna defend her."

Lori nodded as Leni piped up again, "But… She doesn't deserve this."

Lori scoffed. "Are you joking, Leni?"

"It was, like, an accident, wasn't it?" Leni said. "Didn't she fall and hit her head? Isn't that what caused her con… her head thingy?"

Lynn Sr. turned back to Rita. "Leni's right. She doesn't deserve this. We can put it all someplace until we can fix this. But throwing out all her things is not going to help!"

"You said earlier that you were going to put your foot down, that I had to stop taking Lincoln's side."

"Yeah? So?"

"Well, you need to stop taking her side. She's hurt people, Lynn! And, so help me god, I won't let it happen again! She nearly killed Lincoln."

"Yeah." Said Lori.

"I thought he was fine."

Rita shook he head. "You know he doesn't trust us anymore, right?"

It took Lynn Sr. a second to understand what she meant. "That… That was a year ago."

"And it's still bothers him." Said Rita "Whenever I bring that up he literally just stops."

"Can't we just put that behind us?" Luna pleaded. "It's done enough to tear everyone apart."

"Well," Rita continued, "Lynn, that whole thing is her fault. She started this, so we have to finish it."

"B-But…" Said Leni as she stared at the floor, which got everyone looking at her.

"What?" Lori asked.

"You have something to say, Lenore?" Rita asked.

Lenore looked up. "But that was our fault."

Lori clicked her tongue. "Leni, you don't understand. It's her fault."

Leni looked down at her hands in shame "But we all, like, left him outside all night."

"Yes," Rita began, "But only because of Junior's idiotic superstitions."

"But didn't you sell his furniture?" Leni asked her, which left her mother absolutely dumbfounded. She looked to Lynn Sr. next. "And… and you told mom that it might be like…." She shook her head and put her hands up to her forehead. "What's that word?"

"Better?" Lori suggested.

"Safer?" Luna said.

Leni nodded. "Dad, you said we should leave him out just to be, like, safe." She looked at everyone else. "And we all took his word for that stuff. It's totes our fault that we kicked him out."

And with that, everyone was staring at Leni in utter disbelief until Lori flat out voiced what everyone was thinking, "Who are you and what have you done with Leni?"

"I…" Leni tried to continue, " I keep remembering it and I keep, like, asking why I never let him in. And I know she started it but… but we, like, believed her, didn't we? We're the idiots."

No answer, until again Lori spoke. "When did you get so smart?"

Leni shrugged. "And It's, like, all my fault I fell for it." She looked over at the picture on the mantelpiece. "And I keep, like, hurting myself in my head for going along with all that." She closed her eyes. "Why do I have to be so dumb?"

Lori walked over and put her arm around Leni. "Leni, you're not…"

"But I believed her." Leni said as tears glistened in her eyes. "And I feel like I, like I…" She looked down. "Like I hurt someone just 'cuz I can't help being dumb."

"Aww, Leni." Said Luna as she walked up to her. "You're not dumb."

"We're dumb, if anyone is." Said Lori

And no-one spoke for a minute after. Everyone was too busy considering Leni's words, until Rita said, "I… She needs to lose her things."

Lori shook her head. "We can't keep it in the basement."

"Why not?" Leni asked.

"Temptation." Answered Luna.

Rita nodded. "And I'm not paying for storage. And there's no place else to…"

"Ruth." Said Lynn Sr. "She has that lake house. And she won't be using it this winter."

"Yeah!' exclaimed Luna. "We don't need to go that bad and chuck all her stuff, do we?" She asked Rita.

Rita took a deep breath. "I… I will call her tomorrow. If she doesn't pick up…"

Rita looked over at her. "Okay. Luna, Lorraine, I've got something I need you to do."

"Yeah?"

Lynn Sr. looked up as Rita said, "Your father and I are going to the hospital to pick up Lincoln."

"And Lynn Jr."

Rita nodded. "I need you to do something for us."

"What?" Asked Lori.

"Sure thing." Luna said.

Rita looked back at the family picture on the mantelpiece, "I need you to pack up Junior's things."

"All of it?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"All of it." Rita answered. "I don't know what we're going to do with it yet, but for now I want it out."

"What about Ruth?" Lynn Sr. asked.

Rita thought, and then nodded. "I'll ask her tomorrow." She looked back at Luna, who was looking at the carpet, chewing everything over. "Do you have anything to say?"

Luna looked up. "Can I see Luan?"

"Tomorrow." Said Rita.

Luna didn't answer immediately, but she took a deep breath and she said, "I'll get it out. She doesn't deserve that stuff anyway. Not after this."

"Honey? Ready to go?" Rita asked Lynn Sr.

"I gotta find something in the closet first." H said as he walked to his bedroom. "I need a minute."

"Okay." Rita said before looking at Luna. "Could you get started on packing her things?"

Luna gave her mother a small salute and looked to Lori. "Gonna help?" Lori nodded and without another word the two walked towards the stairs.

"Just… Just don't break any of her things, okay?" Lynn Sr. said as they left, to which Luna nodded. Lori did too, but her expression was dour. And just after they left Lynn Sr. went to his bedroom, leaving Leni alone with her mother.

"Can I see Linky?" Leni asked.

Rita took a second, before nodding. "Alright. I'll go get Lincoln some fresh clothes."

"What about Lynn?" Leni asked.

Rita thought for a second. "Does she have anything not sports related?"

Lori and Luna shook their heads. "Well… Maybe Luna could…"

"We can run by the 24-Hour Mart." Leni said.

Rota gave her a suspicious look. "Do you have any money?"

Leni nodded, "Like, sixty doll-hairs."

"Dollars, Leni." Rita said.

"What?"

Rita shook her head. "Just call them bucks, okay? Sixty bucks?"

"Okay." Leni said with a smile. "I've got sixty boy deers."

Rita just stood there with her mouth open before shaking her head. "Alright. Just be down here in five." She said as she went to go upstairs.

Just as Leni moved to follow the phone rang. "I'll get it!" She yelled upstairs. She went to pick up the phone and answered with her usual, "Hi, we're Loud."

There was a chuckle from the other end. "Well, I'm sure you are. Is this Mrs. Loud?" Said someone with a smooth, breathy voice with a distinctly Spanish accent.

"I'm Leni."

"Okay then. I must apologize for the lateness of this call. My name is Estefania Lopez, please call me Stef. I'm Clyde's psychiatrist."

Leni smiled. "Oh! Hi Stef. Clyde mentioned you."

"And he has mentioned you too. Several times. I'm calling because of… uh, I had the name in front of me just a… Lynn. Lynn Jr."

"Yeah?"

"Well, I heard about earlier this afternoon, and I got word from a colleague of mine that they want someone to talk to her and Lincoln. I just called to say that I'm on my way to St. Rosato's to talk with them."

"Really, we'll be there too!"

"I'll look forward to it. But I would like to talk with one of your parents. Is anyone else there?"

"Well, mom and dad are here but they're totes busy."

"They'll be at the hospital?"

"Yeah."

"Great. I'll see him there."

"Who is it?" Rita asked as she walked in with a small set of clothes for Lincoln.

"It's, like, a doctor." Leni said as she held out the receiver. "Dr. Stef, I think."

Rita took the receiver and said, "If you want to come, get ready."

Leni's eyes went wide, and she bolted upstairs, only to see all of the younger sisters, minus Lily, standing outside Lynn and Lucy's room, watching Lori and Luna pack Lynn's things.

"Hey guys!" Leni said as she reached the second floor. "Why are you up?"

'Heard a fight." Lana said groggily.

"Couldn't sleep." Lola added.

"Aww." Leni gestured to their room. "C'mon, I'll tuck you in." The twins followed Leni into their room, leaving Lisa and Lucy standing in the hall.

"Strange day." Lucy said.

"Indeed." Replied Lisa. "And apparently all my work on that search net was for nought."

"Wasted time."

Lisa nodded. "I'll archive my work. Might be useful later." She looked at Lucy, who had a book in her hands. "We don't talk much, do we?"

Lucy shook her head. "You don't believe in what's out there."

Lisa smiled lightly. "If you say so, Mulder. I'm going to bed."

Lisa was walking towards her room when Lucy asked, "Lisa, you're smart, right?"

Lisa turned and gave her a look as if she had just seriously asked her if beef stroganoff could sing, before saying, "I don't know, let me check."

"I have a question."

"Obviously." Lisa said as Luna passed her on the way downstairs. "Please be succinct."

Lucy looked to Lincoln's room, but then back at Lisa, "From what you know, is there anything that can cause someone to act differently for no given reason?"

It took an immense effort for Lisa not to show her shock at Lucy's question, but it took her a moment to figure out what to say next. "In what way?"

"Do you know anything that could cause somebody to act the exact opposite that they normally would? Turn someone who's caring into a monster?"

"Why do you ask?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm thinking about something Leni and Luna said earlier. It doesn't make sense."

"About Lynn?"

Lucy nodded. "From what they told me, she was different several years ago. Radically so."

Lisa sighed out of quiet relief. "Lucy, this is the second time tonight I've been asked this, so I'll just give it to you simply. Sometimes people change." Lisa said. "I don't know of anything that could do that without either invasive surgery or behavioral adjustment. It's just a fact of the human condition."

"But what about an inhuman condition?"

Lisa raised her eyebrow. "Go on."

"From everything I've heard, Lynn, she loved him more deeply than the ocean, and now…"

"Divergent interests, probably."

Lucy looked back at her room. "If she did love that deeply, I don't understand how she could ever hurt anyone like that. Not without something to push her to it."

"Extenuating circumstances?"

"Or influence."

"You think someone's pushing her to do this?"

"I'm not sure."

"This isn't going to involve ghosts, is it?"

"Demons, actually." Lucy opened her book to show Lisa an illustration off a writhing shadow behind a person who was enthusiastically hacked away at pile of red stuff with an ax, with much blood to go around.

"Charming." Said Lisa. "You purposefully waited until just before bed to show me this, didn't you?"

"Persuasion and subtle whispers, enough to drive those with weak wills and low wisdom to commit unspeakable sins. They always know what to say to push someone into evil."

"Always?" Lisa asked sardonically.

"Always." Lucy answered dramatically.

Lisa shook her head. "Unlikely. Even if such things did exist, you'd be the first to know if there was a demon around here."

"Sigh, I guess that's true." Lucy said as Leni emerged from the twins' room, gently closing the door behind her.

"Leni, we're going in two minutes!" Said Rita from downstairs.

Leni nodded to herself and looked over at Lisa. "Hey, what do you, like, think about Lynn?" She asked. Lisa was about to answer until she realized that Lucy had just pulled one of her signature disappearing acts from in front of her. She spun around, but Lucy had vanished. "So… She spins you right round?" Leni asked Lisa.

Lisa shook her head. "My apologies I just…" Lisa paused for a second, thought, and said, "Never mind. As for Lynn Jr, I'm uncertain." She turned to look back at Leni, "I hate uncertainty."

Leni shrugged. "I dunno either. She just… doesn't seem to be all that… you know…" She said as she walked to her and Lori's room.

"What?"

"Evil." Leni said as she opened the door. "I dunno. It's kinda like she gets blamed for a lotta stuff we did."

Lisa followed her and stood in the doorway, "To dwell on the past is to remain glued to it. The future is the only thing we can control."

"Yeah. I guess." Leni said as she got down on her knees and opened the closet.

"What are you looking for?" Lisa asked.

"I got something for…" She looked back at Lisa. "I figured, you know, since Lynn's not gonna have much I could give her something I was gonna give her for christmas."

Lisa didn't say anything as Leni pulled out a large white paper shopping bag. "You've known her for a long time." She said as Leni walked towards her.

Leni stopped. "I… We were… How do you?"

"I read something." Lisa said as she stepped aside. "I'll explain in detail sometime. Right now I'm tired."

Leni closed the door to her room. "Lynn's always… She's scared. She's been like that for years, you know?"

"You'd know more than me." Lisa said.

Leni shrugged. "I guess she just, like, needs help every once in a while."

"If you say so. Have fun with the parental figures." Lisa said. "I'm going to go to sleep."

Leni nodded absentmindedly as she went to the stairs. "G'night, Lisa."

"Sweet dreams, sibling." Lisa said as she went to her own room. Once inside, Lisa went directly to her work desk, toward the pair of special glasses on the edge of the table between the game and her handheld. After removing her primary pair and putting the new ones one, she cleared her throat. "Engage lockdown." She ordered. The screens of the glasses lit up in elegant grey lines across the lenses. They told her that the room's sound-resistant panels were activated, and that the room was totally isolated from the outside world. "Continue journal." The glasses activated a text box in the corner of the screen as she sat down next to her project on her desktop. As she resumed work, she said: "Journal entry 25-B. Lynn Jr. and Lincoln have been located, so my project was apparently of little use after all. Still worth considering for future usage. To the situation at hand, they're both at the local hospital, and my parents are likely going to spend the remainder of the night looking after them. Their safety is one thing my parents can agree on after the last major argument.

"Apparently, if my second-oldest sibling is to be believed, my mother is trying to assign blame to the situation to my father, as responsibility travels upward, in her mind." Lisa sat down at her table as she continued, "Rita seemed to be very stressed at the fact that Lincoln was possibly hurt, which is unsurprising, but what interests me is how she neglected Lynn Jr. Father seems to be worried for both in relatively equal measure." She sat back. "Rita appears to be more… enraged with Lynn Jr. than concerned for her safety." Lisa pondered for a moment. "Perhaps it has to do with… With that time. Maybe it is built up guilt over her locking him out of the house, which would explain her trying to blame it all on Lynn Jr., since the common perception was that she was the instigator of that event." Lisa was silent for a solid minute, before she walked over the closet, "On a personal note: It was, I admit, a mistake to develop 2.8A-66 without first installing proper measures to prevent accidental spillage."

She pulled the closet open and pulled out a metal canister she had buried in the corner. "Seven milligrams. That's what it took for us to consider exiling our brother. I should have actually seen this coming, if I'm being frank. Lynn Jr. was never entirely stable, at least for as long as I've known her. Exposure to 2.8A-66 would not have helped her psyche any." She looked over the canister, which had liberal duct tape around the middle, covering a crack. "An additional scan, once she gets home, might not be out of order. Although 2.8A-66 should've completely dissipated at this point, perhaps the formula has had some long-term effect on the reasoning centers of the brain that could explain this lapse in behavior. If such, then this is a very worrying prospect indeed. I can attest firsthand, the compound's effectiveness at impairing judgement. Even the most level-headed and rational mind is susceptible to extreme suggestibility to otherwise nonsensical concepts." She put the canister back and went back to her laptop. "Side effects are unknown besides for the usual changes in behavioral characteristic. Exposure does leave characteristic markers on blood chemistry as well. Will conduct a test once Lynn Jr. returns home." Lisa shook her head and stepped over to Lily and gave her younger sister a solemn look. "Will research extensively over the next few weeks. Apparently the shipment of chemicals I ordered for disposal has been delayed again, so I cannot safety render 2.8A-66 inert."

Lisa paused and thought for a moment. "Will continue research later. Right now, I need sleep. Remove lockdown and end journal." She put her glasses down and climbed into bed. "Deluminate!" As the lights switched out, she pulled her sheets up. From outside she heard Vanzilla pull out of the driveway just as she tucked herself in. She quietly said one thing before she went to sleep, "Never again."

There was a knock at the door. "Intrude." Lisa groaned.

The door opened and Luna peeked her head in. "Hey lil' dude."

"Do you need advice of some kind?" Lisa asked.

"Have you seen Lucy?" Luna asked. "I wanna know if this pic of Ryan Gosling I found belongs to her or Lynn."

Lisa sat up. "She talked to me not five minutes ago. Check the vents."

Luna nodded. "Night, dude."

"Good night." Lisa said as she closed the door. As Lisa laid back again, she glanced over at the vent, and then she remembered what Lucy had said to her. After a minute she realized that Lucy wasn't in that house anymore, and yet she didn't move from her place on the bed.

"Lucille can handle herself." Lisa said as she closed her eyes.

* * *

 **Told you the payoff to that bit with Lisa was coming.**

 **That dream sequence came as a flash of inspiration one day, and I knew I had to use it somewhere. I'm rather proud of that whole idea.**

 **The idea for the bridge and the canal came from a pic I saw once online, by an artist named mclelun. For some reason the image stuck with me, so I integrated it here.**

 **This chapter was a hard one overall, not just due to how many versions of it I did, but aso because of how complicated the emotions are. Rita especially was hard to figure out. The big scene between Lynn and Lincoln was also a hard bit, just due to all of the history they have and all of the things that needed to be said there, plus the Lynncoln moment at the end.**

 **Next chapter, the conclusion to this long, long day, and the conclusion to the first part of the story. Lynn's troubles aren't over just yet.**

 **Listening to: _Light Years_ by _The Midnight Ft. Nikki Flores._**


	7. That Girl

**A/N: So, if last chapter was the great emotional nuke of the story, I suppose this would be the immediate fallout from it all. Things are going to be cooling off a bit, but that doesn't mean it's just going to be pointless fluff to end this long, long day.**

 **I've received quite a few comments about Lisa from the last chapter, which wasn't unexpected since I did end the chapter on her. I just ask for a bit of faith, since I do have a way of playing her that'll take a bit of time to really tell, and her relationship with Lynn, much like Lynn's relationship with Lincoln, will be going in a few... Unexpected directions.**

 **I do thank you all for the reviews and advice, it's always interesting to read, and it reassures me that there are people out there who care that much about this story.**

 **But enough chatter, I'll let you get to it.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _St. Rosato's Hospital…_

The silver Mercedes pulled into one of the reserved spots near the non-emergency entrance, and after a second a woman stepped out, who proceeded to stride directly towards the hospital with a determined expression. Once inside, she went right to the receptionist's desk.

"Hello, Doctor." The receptionist said. "What brings you here?"

"Hello." She said in return. "I'm here to see Lincoln and Lynn." At the receptionist's confused expression, she added, "The two children that were brought in about an hour ago."

"Ah." He said. "Second floor, rooms 403 and 404."

"Thanks." She said with a quick nod before moving to walk to the elevator.

"Uh, Doctor!" He said, to which she turned to look back at him. "Their parents aren't here yet."

"I know."

The receptionist slowly nodded. "Okay. Should I call and have the staff introduce you?"

"Thank you, no." She answered.

He shrugged. "If you say so."

And with that she resumed making her way to the elevator. "Okay, Lincoln." She said under her breath as she pushed the button. "Let's see who your sister really is."

* * *

 _I stir, and I feel arms around me. I look down and I see him sleeping in my arms, his soft white hair tickling my chin. I look around and I see that we're in his room, but all his things are boxed up, and we're sleeping on the floor. Then I realize we're all the way back then. Back on the night we moved out. And I smile. We can be together again! He… All that stuff with him being bad luck… Me hurting Luan… It didn't happen. We can try again, and not keep making the same mistakes. But it hits me after a minute. This can't be real. I'm dreaming again. I feel my face fall. I… I don't wanna go back to that. Can't we just forget all that? Don't I get a second chance where I don't keep fucking up? I grab him closely and bury my face into his shoulder, holding onto him as if he's gonna fade away. I don't wanna lose this. Please. Please don't take him. But even as everything around me, all the pieces from that old memory, starts to fade, he just holds me tighter._

* * *

Lynn moaned and stirred in bed. _'Am I home?'_ She slowly opened her eyes, only to see a white blur. After her vision cleared she saw she was in a hospital room, with a window looking out at the parking lot, with the red lights of a radio tower just visible some miles away in the dark. _'Guess not.'_ She thought as she closed her eyes and pulled up her sheets around her neck to try and keep herself warm. _'Mom's coming.'_ She thought. _'She's gonna come and… She's gonna get me. But I can't go… No.'_ She told herself as she remembered the talk with Lincoln under the bridge. _'I can't. I can't keep running away from this. Lincoln's right, I have to face this.'_ She took a deep breath and pulled herself tighter. _'If I ever want it all back I have to face this. But…'_ Slowly, she smiled. _'I… He's with me. He's helping me. Even after everything I did he hasn't… he hasn't given up on me. At least he'll be by my side through all of it.'_ She sighed. _'After we talked he… I fell asleep, didn't I? I think so. I mean, what else happened? It feels like maybe something did._ _I need to ask him later. I need to see if anything…'_

She heard the door open, and Lynn stopped stirring so she could hear someone walked in before closing it again. Lynn still didn't move, as if she was still asleep, until a warm female voice with a Spanish accent said, "Hello, Lynn." She didn't move, and after a minute the voice then said, "Why are you pretending to be asleep?" She tensed, and then slowly turned and opened her eyes. Standing by the door was a lean woman of medium height, with lighter skin, shoulder-length blonde hair, and a sharp nose, wearing a pleasant, if understated, smile. But Lynn's first reaction when she saw her was to bolt upright.

"L-Lori? What are you doing here?"

If the woman was surprised, she didn't show it, but she did smile slightly wider, almost reassuringly. "I believe you have mistaken me for someone else." Her voice was far lower than Lori's, and when Lynn looked into her eyes, it comforted her to see not Lori's cold blue, but instead a warm brown that matched her voice. "Allow me to introduce myself." She said as she approached the bed with the shivering girl in the hospital gown on it. "My name's Dr. Estefania Lopez. Please call me Stef. I'd like to talk." Dr. Lopez smiled, but Lynn noticed how it didn't get close enough to her eyes for Lynn to feel comfortable. Lynn just stared at her, so Dr. Lopez bent down slightly and asked, "Lynn? I'm sure the resemblance can't be that bad."

"J-Just don't get too close to me." Lynn whispered.

Dr. Lopez nodded, stepped back, and continued. "So, Lynn, cliché as it might be to ask this, how are you feeling right now? About all this?"

"I'm fine." Lynn mumbled as she curled her bare legs underneath her.

"Sorry? I didn't catch that."

"I'm fine."

"What makes you think so?" Dr. Lopez asked. Lynn just glared up at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I don't want anyone judging me."

Dr. Lopez sighed and went to the chair in the corner. She pulled it up to the bed and sat down on it, facing Lynn. "Lynn, I'd like to talk about how you feel, not what you've done."

"You… You just wanna fuck with me."

Dr. Lopez's face fell. "That's sad." She said, which made Lynn look back up at her.

"What?"

"It's sad that was your first thought." She continued. "That everything that's happened has made you think that I just want to hurt you."

"Then what do you wanna do?"

"I'd like to help you."

You'd love to poke around in my head, you mean."

"And you sure?"

Lynn nodded as she looked down at the floor. Lynn shivered as she repeated, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"What do you know?"

"A lot, actually." She answered sincerely. "I already know a bit about you. Clyde's mentioned you several times. Apparently, you introduced him to Lincoln. Not intentionally, but you are, in a sense, the reason for their friendship." Lynn didn't reply at all, so Dr. Lopez narrowed her eyes and said, "I'm also a friend of Mrs. Patricia Ryan. Does that name ring a bell?" Lynn's hand instinctively went to her arm, which Dr. Lopez noticed, and considered an obvious yes. "She called me about this when she heard. She was supposed to be here, but I decided to come instead. I know your relationship with your teachers was… turbulent."

"I don't wanna talk about it."

Dr. Lopez nodded. "Well, we have a problem then, because I'm here to listen to you." She sat back. "I'm here to determine how you should be treated, whether or not you need any kind of special assistance in school or, God forbid, time in a center."

"I don't wanna go back."

Dr. Lopez thought for a second, before asking, "Special Education?"

Lynn nodded. "Mom and dad are gonna send me back there."

"No they won't." Dr. Lopez said.

"Why not?"

"Because you weren't in school when this happened." Dr. Lopez said. "So it's not mandatory unless a specialist to decides if it's necessary."

"Please…" Lynn pleaded. "I can't… I don't wanna be…"

But Dr. Lopez put her hand up. "Lynn, if you want me to be able to say you don't need to go back, you have to talk to me." Lynn just stared at the floor, so Dr. Lopez added, "You can be honest with me. I'm not here to judge you. I want to figure this out."

Lynn shook her head. "You say that now. You won't after I tell you what I did."

She leaned forward and laid her hand on Lynn's. "Please?"

Lynn glared up at the doctor, the rage steadily coming back as she ripped her hand from under Dr. Lopez's. "Why do you care? Who am I to you? Just some psycho who tries to kill her own family and then starts whining about how I feel bad?"

Dr. Lopez sat back and crossed her legs. "I think you're troubled, and you obviously need all the help you can get."

She shook he head and looked at the linoleum floor. "I'm a fucking disaster."

"Lynn, you're not. Trust me."

"I couldn't help myself. Luan, she just… she wouldn't shut the fuck up! She just kept attacking me and…" She shook her head. "I pushed her and… And then Lincoln…"

"Go on." Dr. Lopez said as she had her eyes on Lynn's scratching, which was leaving noticeable red marks against her skin.

"My… My little bro." She stuttered as she started to shake. "I lost it. I hit him. After all he did for me… I swore…"

"That you'd protect him?" Dr. Lopez finished.

"I break everything I touch." Lynn said as her eyes went to the floor. "There, is that what you wanted to know?"

"Lynn, I already knew. I knew all that before I even met you." She said as she sat further forwards and tried to get a look at Lynn's face. "I know you seriously injured Luan. I know that you hurt Lincoln. I hate to say that I even know a few of your team and I know about your superstitions and how they affect you." Dr. Lopez gently put her hand on Lynn's chin and pulled her face up to her own. "And I know you tried to kill yourself earlier."

Lynn pulled away from her with mouth agape and eyes wide as she scooted across the hospital bed, away from her. "How? Are you…? Lincoln. He said he'd never…"

"He didn't tell me." Dr. Lopez said as she leaned back again.

"Then how did you know about…?"

"To be honest, I didn't," Dr. Lopez said as she looked straight at Lynn, "until a couple seconds ago. I can't help but see it. With how you are right now, I'd be more surprised if you didn't attempt suicide."

"Please don't tell them." She stammered. "They won't understand."

Dr. Lopez didn't answer, she was clearly thinking very hard, until she said, "Lynn, right now, I'm in your confidence, but if you don't want me to tell someone about your attempt, I need you to do one thing."

"What?" Lynn begged.

Dr. Lopez took a moment before saying, "I want you to do is to stay calm and hold on until Saturday."

"Why?"

"My schedule is booked until then." Dr. Lopez said, sitting back, "I can't even stay here more than thirty more minutes. But I'd like to take some time to talk about this with you Saturday afternoon. Maybe we can get a quick cup of coffee or something."

"Why?" Lynn asked. "I thought Clyde… He said you hated house calls and stuff."

"Because…" She said, sitting back again. "Clyde is not the worst I've ever seen. I've dealt with cases far, far worse than his that require me to, unfortunately, prioritize." She shrugged. "Clyde is… I hate to say it, more benign. And he's stubborn about it too, that's how I know he's more content with just having a therapist than resolving his issues." She shrugged. "But it pays the bills."

"How much is this gonna cost?" Lynn asked. "It's gotta be something."

"Nothing." Stef said. "I do this kind of work on my own time."

"Why?"

Stef sighed. "Because some people just can't… Not with a pay barrier in the way." She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she said. "I wish I could help people, just help them without needing to charge, but…" She threw her hand up. "Life, you know? "I wish I could be everywhere at once, but unfortunately, sometimes what we want to be just can't exist in real life."

Lynn stared at her for a second before looking at the floor. "I guess…"

Dr. Lopez nodded. "Before I go, I want to let you know one thing, I'm here to help."

"Yeah..."

Dr. Lopez sat forward and laid a warm hand on Lynn's cheek, much to her surprise. It was personal, very personal, but still, it didn't feel violating. "I'm here to so you can talk about yourself without anyone making you feel ashamed for this. So, I'm willing to keep your suicide attempt confidential only if you're willing to work with me. If you're not, then I will tell your parents, for your own safety."

Lynn didn't say a word as Stef just lightly rubbed her cheek with her thumb.

"Lincoln stopped you, didn't he?" Lynn moaned yes. "Well it sounds like you've still got one true friend by your side."

Lynn nodded.

"So, you'll see me?"

"I… My schedule's gonna be open anyways."

Dr. Lopez nodded in return and pulled her hand back. Lynn found herself wishing that it was back. "Well, Lynn, I'd like to see you next Saturday at two. Do you know the Adama's Coffee on Main Street?"

Lynn nodded. "If you want."

"I will see you there." Stef said as she extended her hand. "I'll listen to anything you want to say then. And you won't need to ever worry about me rejecting you."

Lynn looked at her hand again, before slowly lifting her right hand up to rest it in Dr. Lopez's. "Bye."

"I'm not leaving just yet." Dr. Lopez said as they shook hands. "I want to have a word with your parents and hopefully your brother. Don't worry." Dr. Lopez said, preempting Lynn's panic. "Your secret's safe, I just want to let them know my thoughts on this before I leave."

"You promise you won't tell?"

"Cross my heart," Dr. Lopez said as she did so, "and hope to wind up in Florida."

Lynn snorted as they broke the handshake. "What's wrong with Florida?"

Dr. Lopez rolled her eyes. "What's right with Florida? Trust me, it's a fate worse than death."

Lynn laughed, it wasn't much, but it was there. "It is for the Marlins."

Dr. Lopez smiled and got up, giving Lynn a small wave as she left, which Lynn returned. Dr. Lopez pushed the door open, leaving Lynn alone, and briskly walked right to the room next door, where Lincoln was. She pushed the door open to see that he was sitting on the bed in a dry hospital gown like Lynn, his bare feet hanging over the side, lost in thought as he stared at the floor, until Dr. Lopez closed the door.

He looked up. "Hey, Lori." He said instinctively before shaking his head. "Sorry."

She chuckled. "Still? After all this time?"

He shrugged. "Tired, I guess."

"Long night, I heard." Dr. Lopez said. "I heard you ran off and left your sister here by herself."

He nodded. "She was getting treated already. They say she's gonna be fine."

"I was wondering," She began, "Why you weren't more worried about her."

"Huh?"

"From what I heard when you saw she was injured you weren't nearly as worried as everyone expected."

"Who's everyone?"

"Lynn's teammates. Quite a few of them see me." She said as she pulled up a similar chair to the one in Lynn's room, and sat in it.

Lincoln laughed. "I guess so. But they're wrong. I was worried." He shivered. "Yeah."

"I'm sure it seemed like she was… well, dead."

"I didn't really think so." Lincoln said. "I dunno why."

"Is that why you seem rather forgiving of Lynn for this?"

"What?"

She took a deep breath. "I talked with your mother on the way here. You're far less angry at Lynn than she is."

Lincoln paused to think. "Well… It was an accident, wasn't it?"

"An accident that Lynn caused, though." Stef answered. "Much like those other times we've talked about."

"But that's still an accident."

Dr. Lopez nodded slowly. "Might I make a rather blunt observation, Lincoln?"

"Sure."

"I've been trying to talk with you about her, and every time I bring it up, you avoid me. You redirect or you just brush me off. I'd like to know how exactly you feel about Lynn."

"Why?"

"Because ever since you first showed up at my office," She said as she quickly glanced out the window, before looking back at him, "I've been curious about your relationship with her. If my brother had me locked out of the house I'm not sure I would talk to him for quite a while."

Lincoln stared at her for a second. "And?"

"And you seem far more forgiving of Lynn than I would expect you to be."

"Everybody else did it. They're more to blame." Lincoln said darkly. "They left me out there."

"She did too." Stef replied.

"But that's… Well, it was just Lynn being Lynn."

"You expect her to act like that?"

"She didn't know any better." He answered. "She couldn't have stopped herself."

"Yet she instigated it. Would it have ever happened if she didn't start it?"

"She's my sister."

"Lincoln, we've been talking for close to a year now, and every time I try to discuss this with you, you always give me that answer." Lincoln didn't say anything. "And I know about her suicide attempt as well." Lincoln looked right up at her. "I thought that might get your attention. She didn't tell me, but it was written all over her face."

"Please don't tell anyone." Lincoln begged. "I swear I'll…"

But she laughed. "Lincoln, I've kept us a secret for just under a year and you still doubt me?"

"I…" He began, his face turning red. "Sorry."

"Lincoln, I trust you, and I know you trust me, even if you don't want to admit it. But you have to be honest with me." He didn't answer, so Stef followed up with, "You're such a bright young boy, to find me to try and help get past this." She smiled warmly. "I think everyone would you to get so… angry towards your family."

He laughed. "A year, and you don't think I still am?"

"Not violently. You've gone through so much that no-one would blame you for running away or trying to hurt your family in revenge, and yet you stayed, and you tried to patch things together without lashing out and making things worse."

"I thought about it."

"And yet you didn't." She replied. "It's unexpectedly mature of you. But if you want to get past this once and for all I need to know about you and her. She clearly means much, much more to you than if she was just a sister."

"Doc… Stef, that's how it is." He answered. "She's my sister. We were in the same crib, or so I've been told, but that's it."

"Obviously that can't be it." She replied. "We've been talking about this for a long time now, but I need to know what makes Lynn so much more to you that you'd forgive her. It's obvious she means more to you than just being your sister."

Lincoln shrugged. "There's nothing more to it."

She gave him a disappointed look. "I don't like it when my patients lie to me, Lincoln."

"I'm not a patient of yours."

"Yes you are." Stef said. "You are not a client of mine, but you are a patient. When you came to me you told me your family locked you out, I knew I had to help. But I can't help if you don't tell me the truth."

Lincoln sat there for a moment, before saying, "I promised."

"Yes?"

"I promised I'd be there for her."

Stef was about to dive into asking questions when the door opened and a nurse looked in. "Um… Sorry, but their parents are here and these kids should be ready to go soon."

Stef nodded. "Just one more minute please." The nurse nodded in return and closed the door on the two of them. Stef stood and pushed the chair back into the corner. "If your parents as if we ever met, I'll say that you met me when Clyde had a panic attack. I'll leave you to fill in the details if asked."

"Thank you." He said. "For… For not telling them."

She looked back at him, and walked so she was in front of him again. "Lincoln… Linc, you're going to have to learn to trust your family again. Someday."

Lincoln looked back up at her. "Not today."

She slowly nodded. "I understand. But you need to be ready for the day you put this all behind you."

He looked back up into her eyes. "Can I…"

She smiled and shook her head. "Okay, a quick one." So she took a step forward, got down and wrapped her arms around Lincoln in a hug. "You're getting too big for these." She said as she patted him on the back.

"I like when you do it." He moaned.

"I'm not gonna be here forever." Stef said as she pulled away. "Life goes on." She ruffled his hair. "But we can enjoy maybe one or two more hugs before we move on."

He smiled. "I'd like that."

Stef took a deep breath. "But only if we make progress. I want to hear more about this promise next time you get a chance to see me."

"Where?"

"The Adama's on Main Street. Saturday."

"Twelve-thirty good?"

"I'm busy until two-thirty. Can you make three?"

"Yeah."

Stef nodded. "See you next Saturday."

"Bye." He said while looking back at the floor. Stef exited the room, carefully closing the door behind her just to be considerate, only to turn and walk into a full force hurricane already in progress.

"Where's my daughter!" She heard a man say to the orderlies as his group of three came around the corner.

"How's Linky!" Leni said loudly as she clutched her bag close to her chest. "Where's Lynn? Are they okay?"

"Leni, would you please…" Lynn Sr. tried to say.

"But I wanna make sure he's…"

"Leni, you'll see him in time." Said Rita, who was coming up from behind with a bag of Lincoln's clothes. "They said rooms 403 and 404. That's just down here." She said as they walked towards Dr. Lopez. "And I suppose we need to wait for this Doctor? Anybody know where she is?"

"I don't know." Lynn Sr. said before turning to Dr. Lopez. "Do you?"

"Hi Lori! How'd you get here?" Leni asked with a wave.

It took the reminder from Leni to help Dr. Lopez remember who she looked like, so she smiled and said. "I'm afraid there's been some confusion." She held her hand out. "Estefania Lopez. Please call me Stef."

Rita blinked, looked her daughter's doppelganger over. She was wearing a tasteful dark green cardigan over a pink button-up shirt that was intentionally untucked, with a small, black leather purse over her left shoulder. It all contrasted with the blue jeans and sneakers she had on below the waist.

Rita then asked the first question that came into her mind. "Excuse me, but I'm wondering, how old are you?"

Lynn Sr. put his hand up defensively. "I'm sorry. We don't mean to be rude we're just…"

Stef shook her head, still smiling. "It's fine. I'm 29."

Rita hesitated. "And… You're here to help with this?"

Stef nodded. "I just finished talking with Lynn. Junior, I mean, and Lincoln."

"And what do you think?" Rita asked. "Just after one meeting, that is."

"Mrs. Loud," She said, "I have met him before." He just stared at her until she said, "I am his friend's therapist, after all. We met briefly when Clyde had a panic attack once. He struck me as a very charming, intelligent young man."

"Uh-huh." Said Rita, uncertainly.

Lynn Sr. smiled nervously. "You're… uh, different than what I expected."

"How so?"

"I dunno, maybe like… well, like you had a stick up your butt, based on how Clyde talks about you."

She laughed. "I'm not that surprised. Clyde and his fathers, they have an old-fashioned view on therapists. So, I decided that a more professional approach might work best for them, and it does."

"Aren't you a little young to be a doctor?" She asked. "I just want to know if you're used to something this big."

Dr. Lopez nodded. "For what it's worth, I have handled cases this severe before. Not many, but I do take these especially seriously when they do show up."

"So… You're licensed?"

"I earned my doctorate two years ago, and I'm currently working as a junior psychologist at the local hospital. I wrote a paper on child anxiety disorders that was regarded enough that it inspired me to start up this therapy gig as a side project."

"What do you do mostly?" Asked Lynn Sr.

"General anxiety disorder is the most common thing. I've dealt with a few cases of bipolar, and one schizoid, but anxiety is by far the most common." She reached for her pocket. "I have my credentials."

Lynn Sr. put his hands up. "No, no. that's okay."

So Dr. Lopez stopped. "I know I might not be the veteran everyone wants, but there are so few dedicated child therapists in this town, I'm the one everybody comes to."

You're right about that." Said Lynn Sr.

Stef looked down the hall. "I wanted to talk with Luan too at some point, but I heard that she's in no condition for visitors for some time, so I'll hold off on that for now."

Lynn Sr.'s face fell. "You heard about it from where?"

She shrugged. "A colleague, Patricia Ryan."

"Oh…" Lynn Sr. said, "Her."

Rita tensed. "And she said…"

Stef sighed, "That your daughter went crazy and tried to kill her sister."

Lynn Sr. shivered. "It was an accident. She fell."

"So I've heard." Dr. Lopez said, "But the situation seems far messier than that, so it will have to require some nuance to handle."

He looked at her worryingly. "You work at a psych center? Does that mean, Lynn's gonna have to…"

"I doubt it." Stef said. "Now, I'm on a time limit here and I'd like to talk to you about both Lynn Jr. and Lincoln before I have to leave in ten minutes or less."

"Can't we, like, see them first?" Leni asked.

"I'm on a tight schedule here, but I only need to talk to your parents."

"So I can talk to Lincoln?" A gloomy voice asked.

After everyone jumped and spun around to see Lucy, Lynn Sr. said, "How did you even get here?"

"I sat in the back." Lucy said bluntly. "Which room is he in?" She asked Dr. Lopez.

"Left side." She answered. "403."

"And when we're done," said Rita, "We're going to have a long talk about sneaking around and staying up late, young lady!"

"If you insist." Lucy said. "Sigh."

Rita nodded slowly in return. "I'll give Junior her clothes and…"

"I can!" Leni piped up.

Rita nodded and looked down at Lucy. "Keep Lincoln company, will you?" She said while handing her the bag with clothes in it. "And don't make him uncomfortable."

"I won't try to." Lucy said before turning on her heel and going to his room, closing the door behind her. She turned to see Lincoln still sitting on the bed, looking at her.

"Hey, Luce."

"Hi, Linc."

He smiled. "Sneaking around again?"

"Why not? It's fun." She got closer and held out the bag. "You should get ready."

"You mind if…" He pointed away from her. "Or… maybe… just turn around."

She didn't move for a second, before nodding and turning her back to him. As he pulled his hospital gown off she asked, "What happened out there?"

"What do you mean?" He asked as he pulled on his underwear.

The faint sound of fabric rubbing on his skin distracted her for a second until she said, "You ran out to find her without having any reason to know where she is, and then you find her. How?"

He laughed as he pulled on his pants. "Just one of those hunches that turns out right, you know? I just know her really well."

"I thought I did too." Said Lucy. "Where did you find her?"

Lincoln paused before saying, "Over by that canal. The big one."

"Via Negativa." Lucy stated.

"I always wondered how it got that name." Lucy didn't say anything, so Lincoln said, "You can turn around now."

Lucy did so, just as Lincoln was pulling his shirt on. "I was… So worried about you."

He shrugged. "I'm fine."

"I know." She said as she stepped closer. "But I still worry."

He chuckled. "Why?"

"Because she gets so very, very dangerous when she's angry." She said, taking another step forward. "Because you were out on the streets, lost in the rain." She put her hand on his chest, "Because you're the only one who really understands me."

He smiled. "Thanks."

She nodded and pulled her hand away. "What happened with her?"

"Nothing." He said, sitting back on the bed. "I found her and I got her to come home. That's it."

"Lincoln," She said as she sat next to him, "how? How did you bring her back from that? I can't even imagine what you could've said to do that."

Lincoln didn't answer her immediately, until he said, "Lucy… You won't understand. This is something… something between her and me."

"I just want to know if I can help you." Lucy said. "Like you helped me. Sometimes it's good to talk things out once in a while, don't you think?" She said as she put her hand on Lincoln's. Lincoln looked at her as she brushed her bangs aside.

"You should wear your hair back more. It's really cute."

Lucy blushed and broke his gaze as Lincoln smiled at her, but inside he was still uncertain. He remembered the night in its entirety, from dragging Lynn from the canal after her botched suicide attempt, to the quiet kiss she'd given him before she fell asleep. He wasn't sure which he felt less comfortable talking about.

* * *

 _In the next room…_

Leni closed the door behind her carefully. She could see Lynn lying on the bed in her hospital gown, staring at the side table. Leni put the bags by the foot of the bed and moved carefully until she put a hand on Lynn's shoulder. "Lynn, hey." Lynn looked up at her with dull eyes. They weren't glassy, or wet, just dull. "Remember that time in Mrs. Patty's class when we had to make those puzzles? You had the one with the mermaid, I got the wolves."

"We traded." Said Lynn. "That was second grade."

Leni nodded. "I think it was fifth."

Lynn laughed lightly. "I guess for you it was."

"Remember Barron?"

"I hated that idiot."

"I remember what you did when he told me I needed a helmet." Leni said as she looked out the window. "You threw him…"

"Right into the table." Lynn finished as she sat up. "I guess I've been a freak for that long."

"Don't talk like that." Leni said as she bent down to open the box.

"Why?" Lynn asked. "Just keep me away from everyone else, things… They'll be okay."

"Hey, I was there." Leni said with a small smile. "And I'm still here. You wanna hug? It'll, like, help you feel better, I promise."

But Lynn just looked away. "I don't know what's gonna happen at school." She said, here voice cracking. "I don't know what everybody's gonna say and I don't know what…"

Leni interrupted her by placing something soft and fuzzy on her shoulders. Lynn quickly looked down to see a dark gray, almost black hoodie. Lynn looked up at Leni, wide-eyed. "Wha- how? I threw this out, didn't I?"

Leni smiled. "I, like, fixed this up for you for Christmas last year, but I… I kinda forgot." She said with a blush.

Lynn quickly pulled it off and looked it over. It was her old hoodie, with the same old faded, flattened dull-gray fabric from back in the day. The only difference she saw was in the lining, which had been replaced with a smooth faux-fur. "I… I can't wear this."

"Why not?"

Lynn shook her head as memories of her first couple days in middle school came rushing back. "It… I…" She looked beck up at Leni, only to see her big sister sitting there with wide, concerned eyes. _'She sent all that time stitching that in and you're just gonna throw it out?'_ Lynn looked down again. "I don't deserve…"

"You can, like, use it, right?"

Lynn rubbed her fingers over the inner material, and she could feel how comfortable it was. "But… Why are you?"

Leni put a hand on Lynn's cheek, interrupting her, "Lynn, mom's taking your stuff."

Lynn looked up at her with big wet eyes, "Wha… She…"

"She wanted to, like, throw it all out, but I talked her outta it."

Lynn looked back down. "I… I guess I deserve it."

"I got you some new clothes, and I had this lying around. I wanted to make you a new sweater, but I had, like, no time, so…"

"Thanks." Lynn whispered to the bed.

Leni put her hand on Lynn's chin and pulled her head up to look her in the eyes. "Hey, Lynn, I'm still here. We got through all that stuff way back then, we can get through this. No matter what, I've got you. I'm not gonna let you get hurt. Never. Never ever."

Lynn looked up at her older sister, before she threw the hoodie aside and wrapped her arms around Leni. "I don't wanna be the bad guy." Lynn said quietly into Leni's shoulder. "I don't wanna be a punchline."

Leni thought for a moment. "Hey, Lynn. Maybe I could, you know, sleep in your room for a while?"

"Why bother?"

Leni rubbed Lynn's hair. "Because Lucy, like, isn't feeling it in there anymore. And, you know how well we got along that one time we swapped rooms." She pulled out of the hug to look Lynn in the eyes. "And to tell you a secret, I'm kinda, like, getting a little tired of Lori. She was talking about Carol for, like, an hour last night."

Lynn looked down at her sheets. "Thank you. So much."

Leni lightly smiled as she gently pulled out several other things from the bags. "Okay roomie. I got you some new stuff to wear." She pulled out a pair of cheap blue denim shorts, a plain white T-shirt, a pack of white ankle socks, some underwear, and finally a pair of red Converse sneakers. "I think I got your size right."

Lynn nodded her head. "Thanks, I guess."

Leni pulled out of the hug, still smiling, keeping a soft hold on Lynn's shoulders. "It'll be okay, Lynn. You can get through this. It's like a big game, and you are so good at winning." Lynn returned the smile as best she could as Leni gave Lynn's hair a quick ruffle.

"I'll just get dressed and we…" Lynn took a deep, cautious breath, and looked down at her hoodie, "And I can go home."

"Seeya, Lynn-er." Leni said as she left for the door.

"Don't call me that." Lynn said, "Please."

Leni nodded. "Later Lynn." She said as she closed the door.

Lynn looked down at the clothes laid out before her. _'You should've known that was coming. Of course, they were gonna take it all. Why wouldn't they?'_ She stood and pulled he hospital gown off. _'They don't think you're any good anymore. I'm just something that needs to get fixed.'_ She pulled the underwear on. _'But… Lincoln, he'll protect me, won't he? He said he'd be there, and he brought me back._ ' She scowled as she pulled the stiff, tight pants on. _'He's just saying that. He said all that just to get me back home.'_ She paused. One side of her brain was telling her he had just lied, but the other was far from that at all. _'He… He loves me. He came for me after all I did to him, in the rain, just to find me.'_ She looked down at the hoodie on the bed. _'I gotta do this. I gotta at least try. For him.'_ She thought as she pulled the shirt on.

She picked up the hoodie and, after running it through her hands, pulled it around her shoulders. She could feel how warm it was, and it almost felt heavy, like a reminder of things that had happened the last time she'd touched it. As she pulled her loose hair out from under the collar, she looked down at the shoes and socks laid out as well. She sat down and put them on. The shoes had the same stiff new feeling as he shorts did. And after she was done, she just sat there and stared at the floor. But after a second, she looked up at the door to the bathroom, she got up and started walking over. _'Jeez Leni, are jeans supposed to be this tight?'_ As she turned the door handle she reached down with her other hand and pulled at the leg of her pants. _'Feels like someone's put a straitjacket on my legs.'_

But after she stopped, she looked up, and came face to face with her new reflection. _'Is… is that me again?'_ She turned her head slightly. _'Same as back on the first day of school.'_ Indeed, she looked as if she'd just walked out from her most unpleasant memories, but with two differences. Her hair was still as thick and unruly as ever, but it hung down just past her neck since her ponytail tie had vanished, with a small tuft still sticking up from when Leni ruffled her hair. Aside from the hoodie, the only things she had on were the boring shirt, the bog-standard denim shorts and she looked down to see the red Converse sneakers on her feet covering up her low-top socks, the only colorful thing she had on.

She looked back into her reflection to once again take in her new look. It lacked all of her sporty side. _'It's like the last two years never fucking happened.'_ She thought for a second before adding, _'I guess that's the point. Just wipe it all away. Go back to when you weren't as big a fuckup. So what if you're miserable?'_ She stared at that reflection for a little while longer before asking, "Who are you?" As if expecting an answer, while beginning to rub her arm again. The hoodie felt almost too comfortable when she pressed it to her skin. _'This ain't me. It's just some stuff they've put on me. I'm more than just the stuff I put on. I'm more than just those sports. I'm…'_ But she came up blank. She couldn't name a thing that didn't involve sports. _'I… This is me. From now on, this is who I am. Again.'_ She shuffled out, not bothering to close the door. _'And I guess I'd better not keep them waiting.'_ She thought as she zipped up her hoodie, opened the room door and stepped out into the hall, only to walk face first into a heated discussion between her parents and her new doctor.

"So, we're just supposed to let her run around unattended?" Said Rita.

"Even if I could easily get her into a Special Services class, I wouldn't advise it." Said Stef, "Lynn is the kind of girl that obviously has problems coping with rejection."

"She needs to be put someplace where she can't hurt anyone."

"Cutting her off is simply not going to work with someone who's insecure about how she is; it's simply going to reinforce her view that she's a menace."

"So what? We indulge her?" Rita asked. "After all she's done, she doesn't get any punishment for this?"

"She needs to lose some of it." Lynn Sr. added.

"He's correct. Key word being some, as in moderation."

"She needs to understand what she did. And coddling her is not going to help."

"And over-punishing her is a fast track to something worse, believe me." Stef said. "You're the adults here, that means you have to know where the buck stops. Not just for your children's behavior, but in your own too."

Rita just stood there, half in shock as Lynn Sr. shook his head. "I thought she'd never be this bad. I mean, I know she's always been a bit unstable, but…"

"Mr. Loud," Dr. Lopez said, "You need to take her emotional state into consideration when deciding Lynn's punishment, otherwise you might very well make things worse."

"She still needs to be punished for this." Said Rita.

Stef nodded. "Agreed. The first step should be to…" But she stopped when she noticed Lynn standing in the doorway, looking up at the three adults.

They all stared at her for several seconds, until Lynn Sr. asked, "L.J.?"

"Hey, dad."

He noticed her hoodie, but he remembered more the last time she wore it. After that awful day at school, when she threw it off and stormed into her room. It'd been the last time he'd ever seen her cry. He couldn't help himself, he rushed over and hugged her. It wasn't crushing, but that was due to how little energy he had. He looked down at her as he rubbed her untied hair. "I was so worried about you. You were out all night and then Lincoln went after you and…" He pulled her close again. "I'm so glad you're safe."

She just stood there, her face in his sweater, unsure of exactly what to do.

Dr. Lopez turned to Rita. "I'll fill you in on my suggestions tomorrow. It seems like it's been a very trying night."

"Thank you." Said Rita. "You'll talk to the school board about her renewing her Special Services?"

"Yes." She said, "For all the good it'll do." She said, with a knowing glance at Lynn. "I can try."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Rita asked with a distinctly uncertain look in her eyes. "Or are you leaving?"

Stef thought for a second before saying. "I have an appointment, but I'd love to talk to the rest of your family someday. Here's my card." She pulled it from her purse and handed it to Lynn Sr. "Please, call me sometime. My office hours are from 10:00 to 5:00 Sunday through Thursday and until 2:00 on Fridays. I take walk ins, when there's a free spot in my schedule. We can talk pricing later if we need to."

"Okay." Said Rita.

"Goodbye." She said as she put her hand out, "I think you'll see me again in future."

Rita gave her a brisk handshake and a nod of recognition, and after that Dr. Lopez turned and walked down the hall. Rita looked over to her husband, who had just let Lynn out of her hug. "Let's go home." She said as she walked over to Lincoln's room to get him.

"Where's Leni?" Asked Lynn.

"I dunno." He said. "She said something about vending machines and she left."

As he finished saying that Rita came out with both Lincoln and Lucy in tow, but both kids stopped when they saw Lynn, standing there, dressed in her old, normal clothes for the first time in literally years. Lucy barely recognized her while Lincoln's mouth was on the floor in shock.

Lynn just gave them a small wave and averted her gaze as Rita told them all to get a move on. As they walked, she too asked Lynn Sr. "Where did Lenore get off to?"

He shook his head. "She said something about… There she is." He pointed down the hall, where Leni was jogging towards them with a maroon can in hand.

"Where were you?" Rita asked her as she pressed the button to call the elevator.

"Oh, uh…" She shifted on the spot, "Well, we're in, like, a hospital so I, uh…" She held out a can of Dr. Pepper for them to see. "I just wondered if I could help."

* * *

 _Vanzilla…_

The ride home was long, quiet, and very awkward. The parents were up front, Lynn sat right in the spot where her father could see her with Leni next to her, while Lincoln sat in the sweet spot behind them with Lucy, who was relaxing against his shoulder. _'I'm kinda hungry.'_ Lynn thought as they drove. _'Maybe we could… no. that's not gonna happen.'_ She looked out the window at the passing town. She'd never been out that late before, it was close to 3 AM, and it was subtly surreal for her to see all the shops and stores of the town empty and closed, like they'd all been abandoned overnight. And yet the streets were not entirely empty. There were occasional cars driving by, and she glimpsed a few people walking; an old man, a person who was briskly walking with his hood up, a serious-faced boy no older than her, and a staggering, drunk couple.

Out of the corner of her eyes she could see brightly colored light, and she shifted to see Downtown, where the nightclubs, bars, and movie theaters catered to their crowds. _'That looks like fun. Maybe we could…'_ But they turned off, giving Lynn a full look at the party district as they turned onto Franklin Avenue, almost like they'd just stolen it from her after dangling it in front of her nose. She sat back in her seat and stayed there until they finally pulled into the driveway. As Lynn got out, she finally took in the house she'd tried to run from. All the lights were out save for the living room, and the more she looked, the more it seemed like she was seeing it for the first time. She brought up the rear as Rita led the way inside. Luna was on the couch, watching music videos on mute with her feet on the table, only to scramble up when they walked in.

"What's happenin', dudes? I haven't heard…" But she stopped when she saw Lincoln walk in, still looking as down in the dumps as before. Luna got down on her knee and gave him a solemn smile. "Hey bro. You look like shit."

He chuckled at that. "Language, Luna."

"Nice to have you back, lil' dude."

Lincoln nodded, but Luna had just noticed Lynn, who had stuffed her hands into her pockets. Luna stared at her for a second, her expression unreadable, and Lynn looked right back, awaiting the onslaught. But it never came, for Rita asked. "Did you get all of Junior's things packed?"

"Yep."

"And where's Lori?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Here." Said Lori as she came downstairs. Lynn tensed as Lori spoke. "I was helping the twins…" But she stopped when she saw Lynn standing there, looking up at her. Lori looked right back down at her, expressionless. Lynn couldn't help but feel like a mouse that'd just been cornered by an especially sadistic cat. Lori inhaled. "Well – here you are."

"Lori…" Began Lincoln.

Lori shook her head. "You've got some nerve, walking around like nothing's wrong."

"Lorraine…" Rita warned.

"You know you got me fired, right? You assaulted Luan, you hit Lincoln, and got me fired in the span of literally one night. That's literally impressive."

Lynn looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Lori, you're totes not helping." Said Leni.

"Lori, please." Said Lynn Sr. "Not tonight."

Lynn was shaking, and it was taking a sizable amount of her self-control for her to not attack Lori, either verbally or physically. _'Don't. That'll just make it worse and prove her right.'_ She thought. _'She's just mad, and it's not worth it.'_

"Junior, go sit in the chair." Said Rita, "And stay there until we say so." Lynn nodded and slouched over to the armchair, passing by the half-dozen boxes full of her stuff. She scooted into her seat and made sure to pull her legs up protectively under her after having removed her sneakers. She looked up to see her parents still talking with her siblings. "Luna, Lenore…" Rita continued.

"Mom," said Leni, "I'm Leni, remember? I like Leni more."

"Girls," Lynn Sr. said, "would you please help Lincoln and Lucy get to sleep?"

"Your father and I have several things to say to Junior before she goes to bed." Rita said.

"I wanna see." Said Lincoln.

"Lincoln, no." Said Rita. "It's late enough, and you really do not need to see this." She looked over at Luna, "Also, until we get Leno… Leni's things moved, we need you to spend the night in Luan's bed."

"As long as she didn't booby trap it." Said Lucy as she walked upstairs. "I'll move my things." She turned to look at Lynn. "Good night." She said curtly before walking upstairs, leaving just Lincoln and his older sisters, minus Luan.

Lynn Sr. looked to Leni and Luna. "You guys don't need to see this." He looked to Lincoln. "Neither do you."

"Dad," He began, "I want to."

"No." Said Rita. "It's been a long enough day, and you're up to late."

Lincoln shot her a quick glare, which didn't go unnoticed by Leni, before he whined "But mom!" Only for Luna to lay a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, bro." She said, and Leni joined in.

"You totes need sleep."

"But…"

"Linky, she'll be fine." Said Leni.

"You should take care of yourself, dude." Lincoln looked over at Lynn, who was simply sitting off to the side and pretending she didn't exist. He silently asked her for her forgiveness, and she gave him a nod. So, Lincoln left, begrudgingly, leaving Lynn with her parents for the first time that day, as well as Leni, Luna, and Lori.

Rita and Lynn Sr. walked over and looked down on her, again making her feel tiny, and not helping the chills running up and down her spine. "Junior, look at me." Lynn took a deep breath and looked into her mother's eyes. "You know why you're here."

Lynn nodded.

"And you know why we're doing this?"

Again, Lynn nodded.

"You'd better." Interjected Lori.

"Knock it off." Luna muttered to her.

"So, this, all of this, this has gone on for too long." Said Rita as she gestured to the living room. "We've been too tolerant of this, and we're done with that. This ends here, do you understand me?" Lynn nodded for a third time.

Lynn Sr. continued, "So, from this point on, you're on double secret probation. That means no more sports, on TV or playing on any teams, and you're not allowed to do anything without asking us first."

' _Like breathing?'_ Lynn thought about saying, before catching herself.

"From now on," Rita continued, "you are going to go to school and come back, and when you get home, you go to your room. No TV, video games, or internet, or especially sports. No friends over, either. If you can't think of anything to do, read a book, do homework, or find something productive. Aside from that, you can use the bathroom, and eat at the table, but if you misbehave you'll sit in the living room.

"Dr. Lopez told us what we need to do, but I'm drawing a line in the sand. We should've clamped down on this long ago, but we waited until it was too late, and now…" She sighed. "Lori and I will take your things out tomorrow."

Lynn Sr. quietly cleared his throat and said, "Your things are all going to Ruth. She's got that lake home, and they're going to stay there as long as it takes to clean up this mess."

"And if you ever…" Rita began, trying to find the perfect word, "Misbehave again, then they're going to go. Permanently. Do you understand?"

Lynn closed her eyes and did her best to not reply. _'Really? Leni did warn you. I mean, what have you done lately to deserve those?'_ Lynn took a deep breath and said, "Yeah." In her slightly cracking voice.

Lynn Sr. nodded and looked over at Luna and Leni. "Is that reasonable?"

But before either of them could speak, Rita did, "Honey, we're the parents here."

"I know, I just…" But he just sighed when he couldn't find the words.

Rita turned back to Lynn. "We've spent quite a bit of money on those things for you, and if you can't show you've earned them, then all we can do is try and make back what we lost on it."

"Good." Lori said.

"Lori…" Luna began.

Lori shook her head. "Luna, no. I'm not in the mood. Because of her I'm out a job. She," She pointed roughly at Lynn, "has totally wrecked my schedule for the next month, and she's made me look like an idiot, and did I mention she made me lose my job."

"It can't be that bad." Lynn Sr. said.

Lori just glared at him before turning the screen of her phone towards him. Lynn looked at it and caught a glimpse of Lori, in the middle of the arcade, sitting across from a bloody girl with brown hair who was silently screaming her lungs out, trying to be heard over the mute button. "Dad, I've got this to explain to everyone I know, so I don't feel like accommodating her on this, literally."

Rita nodded. "I agree with Lori." She looked to Lynn, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Lynn took a deep breath. "What about my bike?"

Lynn Sr. looked at Rita. "Honey we should at least let her keep that."

She looked back at Lynn Jr. "Fine by me. You can use it to get to school. But tomorrow I'm going to pick you up. I have the day off anyway, and I need to see the principal about getting your PE suspended. Later we'll go out and get you some clothes that aren't related to all this… sports. Is there anything else you want to say?"

Lynn looked at her mother, then to her father. _'They want an apology, I guess. But I don't know what to say.'_ She too a deep breath. "I… I know I've been hard to deal with."

Lori laughed, which earned her a small smack from Luna.

Lynn took a deep breath and forced herself to keep going. "I know you've all been avoiding me, and I know why. And this… I hurt… I should have…" She shook her head. "I'm not proud of myself. And I'm sorry." She looked with pleading eyes at Lori, who was not returning the gesture. "I don't know what I have to do to show you, but if I could take it all back, I wouldn't even think twice."

Both parents looked directly at her as she contemplated the carpet. "Well," Rita began. "I can't say I haven't heard that before." She sighed. "But what's done is done and can't be undone. And I hope you're more sincere about it this time, and not just for your sake. Because I won't let you hurt him again."

"Hurt him?" Leni asked. "Did Luan turn into a guy?"

"So that's what this is about." Said Luna.

"What?" Lynn Sr. asked.

Luna looked up at her parents, licked her lips, and said, "I don't think I'm gonna blow anybody's mind if I say that this," She pointed at Lynn, "you wanting to throw all her stuff out, isn't just for what happened today."

Leni, who was staring into space, nodded. "Yeah…"

Rita shook her head. "Can we just forget about that? It's over and done, and as far as I'm concerned, bringing it up again isn't going to accomplish anything."

"Agreed." Added Lori. "Besides, Lincoln has nothing to do with this."

Rita glared at Lynn before saying, "As I said, we should've cracked down on this after all that nonsense, then maybe we could've avoided all that… Misery." She shook her head. "Maybe it is my fault. I should've put a stop to this back then, but I didn't, so now…"

Leni looked at Rita, with an expression of obvious realization on her face. "He… He doesn't like you any more, does he?"

Rita's gaze shot right to her, "I don't know what you mean."

Luna smacked her forehead. "That explains it."

"Explains what?" Lynn Sr. asked.

Luna pointed at the still motionless Rita. "You're gonna pile it all on her, aren't you? All that shit we did to him, and even the shit he did to himself, you just wanna use this to blame her for locking him out."

Rita stood for second, before saying in a voice that had broken glass shards in it, "We're discussing punishing her for what she did to Luan."

"Then why'd you bring him up?" Luna asked. "Freudian slip, dude."

"She slapped him." Rita countered.

"As if that's anything to what she did to Luan." Luna argued right back. "You're just using her getting hurt to justify blaming Lynn for all our fuckups, aren't you?"

"Luna, if you can't say anything smart…" Lori began telling her.

"Guys!" Leni yelled, stunning everyone, because nobody there could ever remember the last time she'd ever raised her voice. "That was our fault! All our fault! We locked him out!"

"And we could've let him back in." Said Luna, her voice shaking.

Lynn Sr. looked at the floor. "I said that we shouldn't risk it."

"But she's the one who started…" Rita began to say.

"And she convinced us." Said Lori.

"But we fell for..." Started Luna.

Leni shook her head as her eyes started watering. "Can we please stop arguing about that? Please? Can we stop just, like, stop trying to find someone to blame for it and just… Just…" But Leni just turned away, leaving everyone else in the room staring silently.

Lynn just sat by, lost in thought. _'I… I did that. I started that. But… They all… I dunno. Why is this all so hard? Can't it just be over? Is this all that's left? Are we never gonna get past this?'_ She closed her eyes. _'But… Maybe they're right. Lincoln doesn't blame me for that, not as much anyway. Maybe… I dunno. I just dunno anymore.'_

After a minute, Rita spoke. "My punishment still stands." She turned back to Lynn, who was quietly bearing witness to the argument without wanting to get involved. "I expect you to improve. If you do, we can start talking about regaining privileges, if not…" She threw her hands up and looked around, disregarding Lynn entirely. "Any questions?"

"Can we get to bed?" Lori asked.

Lynn Sr., who'd been quietly thinking, nodded. "Yeah. Let's. We gotta get that stuff to loaded up and take it to Ruth's and I have to move Leni's…"

"We'll worry about that when we get there." Rita said, putting her hand on Lynn Sr.'s shoulder. "For now," She pointed at Lynn, "Bed."

And with that, everyone broke up. The parents walked to the dining room to discuss things in private, while Lori returned to her phone. Leni, meanwhile, went right to Lynn. "Hey?" She asked, putting her hand on Lynn's cheek. "You alright?"

Lynn just shook her head.

"Okay, let's get to bed." Leni said.

"Thanks." Lynn whispered. "Thanks for… You know, sticking up for me."

Leni smiled solemnly. "I just wanna help, you know?"

Lynn looked past her to see Luna standing in the same spot as before, looking at Lynn. "Thank you too."

Luna just stood there for a second before saying, "I… You hurt Luan."

Lynn blinked. "But… You stuck up for me. Doesn't that mean…"

Luna shook her head. "If I could, then I would. But you still gotta pay for hurting her."

"But…" Lynn said, "That doesn't make any sense."

"I wanna make sure you just get blamed for what you did." Luna said, "I don't think you're the only one to blame for… that." She sighed. "But now you gotta pay for hurting her. You deserve that much."

"Thank you." Lynn said again.

Luna glared at her. "Don't mention it." She said as she walked towards the stairs. "Good night."

Leni patted Lynn's shoulder. "Let's go to bed too." Lynn nodded and slowly stood, Leni keeping her hand on Lynn's back, gently steering the tired teen towards the stairs. "Like the hoodie?" Leni asked.

"It's… It's comfy." Lynn said as they climbed up, Lynn keeping her eyes firmly on the staircase. "Maybe you could make me that sweater, someday."

"Okay." Leni said as they heard voices from the top of the stairs, at the usual listening post.

"They can't just, like, dump her stuff, can they?" Lola asked.

"Yes." Lucy droned.

"How much is that even worth?" Lana asked too.

"I estimate her things to equal upwards of $5,000 total, factoring in her more expensive items such as her punching bag and…" But Lisa stopped as Lynn looked up to see all of her younger sisters, minus Lily, looking down on her from atop the stairs, all with matching looks of concern and wariness on their faces.

Lynn immediately noticed Lana's cap was gone, but she didn't register it, instead settling on Lucy, who was staring at her with a bright blue eye, just visible beneath her slightly swept bangs. _'She has blue eyes?'_ Lynn could hear the shower on down the hall, and she glanced there, before she returned her gaze to the stairs with a meek, "Hey."

Nobody moved or spoke for a second, just out of sheer tension, until a voice from the bottom of the stairs said, "Alright! Break it up! You lot need to be in bed five minutes ago!"

The twins simultaneously squeaked and bolted into their room, while Lucy simply said, "Sigh. I suppose I don't need that shower anyway." And carried her things into Luna's room, leaving just Lisa standing at the top of the stairs.

"Outta the way!" Lori said as she stomped up, causing Lynn and Leni to rush up past Lisa to steer clear of her. "You three, bed. Now." Was all Lori said before heading right into her room and closing the door.

Leni shook her head. "I'm gonna go, like, tuck them in." She said as she left, leaving Lynn and Lisa alone at the top of the stairs.

Lynn just stared at her younger sister for a second as Lisa stared right back, but Lisa's eyes took small glances at different parts of Lynn, from her face, to her ancient hoodie, to her arms, then back up. It was as if she was quietly studying her, in a way that made Lynn feel uncomfortable in a way she couldn't quite place. "So how are you?" Lynn asked.

"Acceptable." Lisa stated, returning her gaze to Lynn's. "Might I ask the same of you?"

Lynn just stared at her, enough that Lisa broke her gaze and looked slightly over Lynn's shoulder instead of in her eyes. "I feel like shit." Lynn said bluntly.

"In any… particular ways?" Lisa inquired, as Lynn noticed Lisa's posture; tense and slightly scared.

"Does it matter?"

"How are you feeling?" Lisa asked again, her eyes still scanning Lynn intently.

Lynn canted her head to the side. "Why are you even asking? What do you care?"

Lisa took a step back, which did not go unnoticed by Lynn. "I'm just curious to know if you've been feeling in any way different."

Lynn just stared at her. "Like what?"

"Confused? Uncertain?"

' _Is she kidding?'_ "Yeah, I've felt like that all day."

"Possibly paranoid and delusional?"

Lynn just stared at her. "What? What are you implying?"

"I'm curious." Said Lisa. "I'm trying to determine exactly what happened today."

"What's there to talk about?" Lynn said with a shrug. "Just one of those days. You know?" She looked away. "This shit's been building for a while. It's been going and going for years and today…" She shrugged. "Snap." Lisa didn't answer, and again Lynn looked back at Lisa, and again she got the distinct impression that Lisa was studying her. "You're still looking at me funny."

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

"What could force you to act like that."

"What, did the boogeyman make me do it?"

"Doubtful." Lisa said. "Despite what Lucy thinks." Lynn let out the faintest of chuckles and looked to the floor. "She seemed to believe you were possessed earlier." Lisa said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, that sounds like her." Lynn said as she looked to her room. "But I'm done with that."

"With what?"

Lynn sighed and looked to the floor. "Blaming someone else for all this."

"Oh?"

"Finally figured that out. But… Don't know what to do now anyways, so…" Lynn shrugged. "But I know what I did wrong, anyways. It took a while for me to get it but… It's all on me, I guess."

"Perhaps." Lisa answered. "Are you done with… Luck?"

Lynn pointed up. "Bad luck seems to like me. Or if there even is luck or something." She shook her head. "I just… I dunno anymore."

"I don't believe in luck." Lisa stated. "It's just a superstitious view to try and determine an order to random chance."

Lynn almost chuckled. "Shame you did back then." Lisa flinched back, which did not go unnoticed by Lynn. "Yeah. You get what I mean."

Lisa blinked, then said, "I… I am far to intelligent to put any consideration in such… hokum."

"Yet you threw him out too. Go figure."

Lisa didn't answer immediately, which got Lynn's attention, but just as Lynn was about to speak, Lisa said, "That… That was a mistake."

"No shit."

Lisa looked away. "Normally I never would've even considered such nonsense."

"You with that big brain of yours."

Lisa nodded, but didn't look back. "I'm far to intelligent to fall into believing idiotic superstitions about luck."

"Easy to say that now." Lynn said quietly to the floor.

"It was a lapse in logic, caused by… extenuating circumstances." Lisa said very carefully. "Under normal conditions I never would've even considered that ridiculousness."

"Do tell."

Lisa just shook her head. "It's complicated."

"Is it?" Lynn asked. "You believed something stupid. Trust me, I know how stupid it makes you feel."

"But I'm too intelligent for that." Lisa said quietly. "My I.Q. is close to 360." She said, and Lynn couldn't help but notice just how Lisa seemed to be almost ranting as she said, "I'm a certified genius. I can't have fallen for that."

"Everyone else did."

Lisa just kept shaking her head. "I'm too smart for that. I have to be. I can't… I couldn't be that… That… Retarded."

Lynn shot Lisa a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

Lisa slightly flinched back. "Why do you ask?" She said in as calm a voice as she could.

"You're acting funny." Lynn stated. "You're getting… Well, you don't sound like you."

"I'm fine. I'm only acting like this due to sleep deprivation." Lisa answered immediately. "Aside from that, nothing's wrong. Nothing at all."

' _She's lying.'_ Lynn looked her right in the eyes and said, "You sure?"

Lisa nodded. "I am… I think you must be misinterpreting my language. It's understandable, since most people aren't on my level of intellect."

Lynn snorted. "You're the smartest person here, aren't you?"

"That much is obvious." She said as she walked to her door and opened it, "I might want to run some tests on you later this week. Goodnight." She said briskly before leaving Lynn alone in the hall. But just before she did, she just barely heard Lisa say something under her breath, "I can't have. I just can't…" Just before she closed the door. It took Lynn a moment to process things, but after she did, she just shrugged and walked to her now-empty room. _'I'm too tired to care right now.'_

After shutting the door, she turned around and had to fight the urge to cry again. All her posters, her sports memorabilia and swag from her many games, even her curtains, had all been stripped away. Like the Grinch had come through on Christmas Eve, all that showed there was ever anything there was the tape and the hooks that'd held them. They'd even taken her sheets and curtains, giving the entire room a very monochromatic look, thanks to Lucy's lack of interest in colors, and the removal of her football lamp, which meant the only real source of light was the moon shining through the window and the faint red glow of the same radio tower she'd seen from the hospital, just visible behind the trees.

 _'Well, you knew this was gonna happen. There's no point being that surprised.'_ She pulled off her hoodie. _'Must be in the basement. That's where they throw all the junk.'_ She pulled off her shorts too. _'They probably left my trophies, right? They couldn't get rid of those. I need to make sure about that downstairs, if mom and dad will let me.'_ She sat down on the bed, wearing nothing but her underwear, plain white T-shirt, and socks. But as she moved to turn in, she looked around again. _'There's nothing. Nothing from my old Tigers game, my old school flag, my lamp…'_ She looked over to her nightstand to see her football lamp, also gone. _'Dad, he got me that. Ninth birthday. And now…'_ Her eyes started getting teary. She shut them tight as she pulled on her sock. _'Stop crying. They'll think you're begging for sympathy points. Stop it.'_ She hitched her breath and laid back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. _'Cry later, not now.'_ She took a deep, calming breath, her nerves needed it. _'One day ago, everything was fine. I was doing okay. And then…'_

She paused as she focused on the darkest corner of her ceiling. _'Was I? I mean, I was so excited for that game, I honestly don't remember that morning. What happened?'_ She rubbed her head with her palm. _'C'mon, you were there, what happened?'_ But she came up blank, so she dropped her hand onto the bed, next to her splayed out hair. _'I don't know. Yesterday, the only thing I remember was arriving at the field, the nightmare.'_ She shivered. _'And then the game. I honestly can't remember what happened before that dream.'_ She shook her head. _'I woke up, chatted with Lucy, I got back, showered, and then I did my…"_ She looked over to where her bed met the wall, and leaned to the side to stuff the hat between the two. _'Dang, my cap?'_ Indeed, there was nothing there. _'They got rid of my good-night tennis ball too, didn't they?'_ She once more felt around in between her bed and the wall, only to again come up empty. _'Jeez, nothing escapes them.'_ And with that she simply fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. _'There's nothing in here. I'm bored. How can I be bored? I've only been in here for five…"_

She heard the door gently push open, and she looked up to see Lincoln's silhouette, wearing his pajamas, with his hair still wet, pushing his way inside before closing the door behind him. "Hey, Lynn."

"Hey." She moaned.

"How are you?" He asked quietly as his outline walked towards her, stepping into the moonlight so she could see his hands behind his back, reminding Lynn, strangely, like he was at Show-And-Tell.

"They took everything." She said.

Lincoln looked around, before saying, "Yeah… But we can work through that, can't we?" He asked her, whilst giving her a small smile.

She just blinked. "I dunno." She closed her eyes. "I… I dunno if I can make it. It's all gone and…"

"I got something for you." He said, causing her to reopen her eyes to see him holding out Bun-Bun. "Remember her?"

Lynn blinked before saying, "Yeah…"

"Remember how you found her?"

 _The room had orange and red walls and scuffed wood floors, and it was piled high with all manners of junk from misty old glassware, tarnished coffee pots and innumerable VHS tapes. I was hiding by a couch. That's when I see it, sitting on an old wooden chair. A white rabbit plush on top of a pile of old magazines. I sneak over to the chair and tried to reach it, and I manage to grab it, but only after nudging the magazines enough to cause the entire pile to avalanche onto the floor, to the sound of much destruction. The bunny smells musty, like cigarette smoke, but that didn't stop me from pulling it close, even as Luna comes around the corner, calling out that she found me._

After a second, she reached out to touch its fur. "Hey there." She said uncertainly.

"I know, but there are things I need to do. So," He pushed Bun-Bun into her arms with a slightly-goofy buck-tooth grin. "She'll keep an eye on you."

"Y-yeah." She said as she scratched behind the rabbit's ears. "But…"

"Lynn, take her. She'll keep you from being lonely."

She pulled the bunny close in her arms. "Thank you. So much." She looked away as she said that.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"What's gonna happen when I go back to school?" She asked, gesturing with her head at her hoodie. "Everyone's gonna…"

Lincoln put his hands on her shoulders. "Lynn, they don't matter."

Lynn shook her head. "Linc, I'm scared. Cuz I know it's coming." She looked down, "I don't know what to do."

Lincoln thought for a second and said, "Lynn, I'm gonna be here to help no matter what. We can figure it out tomorrow if you want."

"Is mom gonna let you near me?" Lynn asked as she dropped Bun-Bun on the bed.

"I dunno." He said, "But in case we don't get the chance, just remember this: They don't matter to you. They're just idiots who don't know who you are. Their opinion isn't worth jack squat."

"Am I sick?" She asked quietly, gripping the edge of the bed tightly.

Lincoln took a moment, before saying, "Yeah."

"I just wanna get better." She whispered. "Now. Now in case tomorrow never happens. Cuz… Cuz I don't know if I can…"

"Hold out?"

She nodded. "Is that all I got left?" She asked herself more than him. "Just being… Being that girl? Just…"

But before she could finish, Lincoln put his hands on either if her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "I believe in you." He said. "You've never ever given up on anything before."

"Thank you for not giving up on me." She whispered, pulling herself closer to him under his arms and wrapping her arms around his waist.

Lincoln's breath hitched, his cheeks fully flushed. "Lynn, do you remember when we were under the bridge earlier?"

Lynn moaned something close to yes.

"What… Do you remember what happened after we… Cuddled?"

Lynn blinked and pulled back to look at him. "I… I fell asleep. Didn't I?"

"Yeah."

Lynn smiled. "You… You feel nice." She said as she brought her forehead to rest against his with a long, contented sigh.

Lincoln was unsure what to do, so he just stayed there for a few minutes, feeling himself sway with her slightly as they breathed. It was obvious how much being close to him comforted her, so he decided to give it to her now, in case opportunities became scarcer later. But after close to a minute he ruffled her hair, "We should go to bed."

"Do we?"

He pulled back and looked at his not-so-big sister. "Sad to say, but yeah." He looked at her hair, before saying, "You look nice with your hair down, by the way."

She flushed. "Really?"

He smiled. "Looks like you almost got a turkey-tail like me."

"Never could get this stuff tamed." She said.

"Can't be tamed, how very… you." She smiled, slightly.

"See? There it is. Now quick, before it goes away." He said, gently pushing her onto the bed. "Trust me, we both need it. See you tomorrow."

"Night." She said as she curled into bed again. Lincoln was about to step away, before deciding to pull the blankets up over his sister, which earned him an appreciative moan from her. He walked off, fnearly tripped over her clothes on the floor, and eased the door open as carefully as he could, quietly closing it, only to turn right into Luna, who was waiting outside.

The two stared at each other, alone on the landing, until Luna said, "I don't get it."

"What?"

"Why you're helping her." She said. "I mean… What's she done to deserve it, bro?"

Lincoln thought for a second, and then shrugged, "Not much, I guess. But she doesn't deserve to get all her stuff sold."

"Yeah, I think so too." She said. "For what that's worth. But…"

"I'm going to bed." Lincoln said. "Maybe we can talk tomorrow."

"Yeah." She waved a black-nailed hand at him. "Sleep tight, lil' dude. Hope things get better."

"Couldn't be worse." Lincoln said as he left for his room.

Luna nodded to herself in agreement, before reminding herself that she was done up there. She went downstairs, only to catch sight of a pair of white panties with blue stripes by the armchair, and past that, the girl who was filling them out. Leni was bent over, looking through boxes for something.

"Hey." Luna said, causing Leni to jump and spin around.

"Hi Luna!" Leni said as she waved a green hat at her, before quickly shoving it behind her back.

"Whatya got there?" Luna asked.

"Nothing." Leni lied, her cheeks flushed.

Luna simply walked up to her and looked down at the box she'd been looking through. The box had her football lamp and, more importantly, the contents of Lynn's personal shelf over her bed. Keepsakes from her first team and season. Lynn's first trophy, the simple gold-colored-plastic MVP award for her first year on the _Royal Woods Elementary_ team, was next to the team flag that had the name on it, the _Lime Drivers_. Luna also saw the ball from a game that, if Luna remembered correctly, was the game winning home run that destroyed a window across the park. She turned it over to see the signatures of her entire team.

She looked over to see Leni wringing a matching hat in her hands. Luna stuck out her hand, and Leni sheepishly handed it over to her. Leni wasn't surprised when Luna dropped the hat back in the box, but she was surprised when Luna took out he football lamp, picked up the box, and told Leni, "Hide it in the attic."

"But," Leni started to whisper, "I thought you wanted Lynn to lose her stuff."

"Not forever." She said as she handed Leni the box. "She's gotta get better someday. Just get that hid."

Leni nodded and hitched up the box. "Night, Luna."

"Sleep tight, Leni." She said as Leni departed upstairs. No-one else was around, so she went to the kitchen only to see her father sitting at the table with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon in hand.

"Hey pops." She said softly, doing her best to hide her surprise, but he didn't answer. "Mom in bed?"

He nodded. "It feels strange to be done packing all that stuff."

She sat down next to him. "How many trophies she got anyways?"

"Fourteen." He answered. "Three baseball, two basketball, one football, two roller derby, two lacrosse, two ice-hockey, one biking, and a seasonal for soccer."

"Jeez. That's a lot." She said as she played with her thumbs on the table.

"My little girl, the sports star." He said as he took a drink. By how far he tipped the can, he'd already had most of it. Luna didn't speak as he put it back down, his eyes looking through the kitchen window at Mr. Grouse, who was doing something in his yard in the dark as he was oft to do.

Luna could tell just by the look in his eyes that his thoughts were very far away. "Am I a bad father?" He wondered out loud. "Everything I did for her, everything I kept pushing her to be, and she winds up hurting Luan and…" He took another swig. "Rita told me, in the van, she told me she wanted me to…" He looked away. "To fix this. She kept talking like Lynn was rotten to the core or something."

"She can't be that bad." Luna said. "Even after Luan."

"But she kept telling me to and…" He shook his head, "It's like I'm one step away from throwing Lincoln out all over again." Luna didn't have anything to say to that, so she just sat there as he drank. "She told me that…" He closed his eyes as he quietly cleared his throat. "She said if she knew how thing's would've turned out back then, she never would've had her."

"She's just mad. Mad and worried." Luna said. "She'll get over it once she sleeps it off."

"Uh-huh." He said without any affirmation in his tone. "I guess… I guess this is just gonna be another one of those days…"

"We'll all regret tomorrow." She finished.

He nodded as finished the last of his drink. "You going to bed?"

"I'm gonna get a drink first." She said as she stood and walked towards dining room. "I think I'll crash on the couch for a few. I don't think I can sleep unless I've got some, like, totally bleh infomercials to help."

"Just don't make it too loud." He chuckled as he finished his drink. Afterwards he stood, dumped the can into the sink, and left the kitchen. "Goodnight, Luna." He said as he passed her. "And thanks for listening." He smiled, but his eyes were still morose. "I'm glad someone in this house is."

"Night, pop-star." She said as she crouched down and opened the first box. "Feel better, okay?"

Once he closed the door, she made her way to the kitchen, right to the cabinet directly left of the sink. She pulled the door open, scanned the interior and reached in. "Come on, I know you're in there." She pulled out another can like her father had been drinking. She closed the cabinet and she went to the other corner cabinet next to the oven. Once she opened it she recoiled slightly. "Where's that old radio?" She poked her head in, before looking around. The FM radio was sitting by the bread box. "Jeez, how'd I miss that?" She said as she reached into the cabinet. "Need a better hiding spot." She muttered as she pulled out a pack of Marlboros and a lighter. "Too dang close." She closed the cabinet and went to the back door, unlocked it, and stepped out onto the back porch.

It'd stopped raining, leaving everything damp. Aside from the water on the wood touching her bare soles, Luna didn't notice as she went over to the railing, cigarettes in one hand, beer in the other. She sighed and dropped her cigarettes on the railing with the lighter on top of it. "God, that morning was a long-ass time ago, wasn't it?" She mused as she popped the can open. She placed her elbows on the railing, and tipped it down her throat. She nearly gagged, but she pushed through and took down almost a full gulp before swallowing. A cool breeze ruffled her hair as she quietly said. "And here I was thinking things were gonna be normal." She said with a chuckle. "First Lynn, then Lucy, then mom, and Lori, now dad. Maybe there's something in the water." She rasped with a laugh as she drank a second gulp. "That makes me love you like I do." She sang softly as she lowered the can. "How do I even know that song?" She asked herself with a small smile as she placed the beer on the railing and got herself a cigarette.

After she'd lit up and taken a long draught, she picked her beer back up and looked back out at sky as she blew smoke into the night. The moon was full, although partially covered by a passing cloud. "I don't know. Everyone's acting crazy, and her I am, tryin' to talk sense into 'em." She shook her head as she rubbed her foot in a small puddle, feeling the rain between her toes. "And all it does is keep coming..." There was a stray breeze that pleasantly brushed her hair as she drank. "And it's like we're all just... Going in circles anymore." As she swilled the last of the beer around in the can, her cigarette smoldering between the fingers she held it in, she smiled. She put the can down and snapped her fingers, lightly nodding her head to the song that was playing in her mind. "You spin me right round, baby, right round like a record..." She sang just before picking up and finishing off the drink. She placed it next to her pack of cigarettes while she finished off her first smoke. "You know what, I think I might… I'm gonna have another." She said as she exhaled into the breeze. "Because fuck today."

* * *

 **And with that, the day is over.**

 **There was a lot of hugging in this chapter. I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing.**

 **I'll admit I decided to make Dr. Lopez more "interesting" than accurate, but she is going to serve a specific role in the plot, and I had a few ideas I decided to use with her that don't entirely relate to the main plot, in the same way Sam has so far. Still, I think Dr. Lopez came out rather well, fitting the somehwat ambiguous feel I had in mind for her, and while I know Lincoln has probably never met her in canon, I think it adds to their dynamic if he's been seeing her since NSL.**

 **Luna was very, very strange to write in this chapter, since she basically has to hold two contrary opinions and tightrope walk between them. But I plan on giving her a bit more time to express her opinions in future.**

 **So, this ends the first section of this story. Later sections will be a bit different, since they'll not take place over the course of the same day as much as they have so far. They may be slightly shorter as well, but that all depends on how much I wind up writing. I did quite a bit of work on these chapters to get them up to my standards, and that's meant that advancing the story hasn't gone quite as fast as I've wanted.** **In any case, one or two subplots will be pushed back for the next chapter or two, but they will be followed up on. I considered dropping a hint about Lisa up top, but I decided you all are just going to have to wait and work it out.**

 **On a smaller note, I'm somewhat amazed by the references I made in previous chapters that no-one seems to have picked up on.**

 **Anyway, the next chapter has already been plotted, and I can give you its title now: _Delicate_**

 **Again, thank you all for your support.**

 **Listening to: _Hands of Time_ by _Groove Armada_**


	8. Delicate

**Author's Notes: Fun fact: I planned to release this on Valentine's Day. Needless to say that didn't work out. In any case, here's the chapter.**

 **Anyway, we've moved away from Lynn's Bad Day, so expect a few more time skips here and there, which will be quite a shift from the previous day-long arc.**

 **Also, new cover art! I've wanted to trade up for a while, and The Fresh Kinght gave me permission to use _Lincoln Cheers Up Lynn_ , so I decided to trade it out. I like it.**

 **But enough chatter, it's time to go to school!**

 **Part Two: Winter**

* * *

 _When I take my head off the desk, I see that nobody else is around at all. The entire classroom is empty, and lit by this dull gray light that almost makes it look all black and white. The shadows that the desks and the chairs cast are so much sharper than they should be. It's creepy. I walk to the hall and look either way, but there's still no-one there. But I can almost hear them. It's like they're whispering, just outta sight, around a corner. I wanna find them, so I tuck my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and follow the voices. The entire hallway is barren and empty, and again, it looks somehow colorless and gray. But I turn the corner and nobody's there, but the voices get clearer and clearer. And I hear my name. They're the voices of all my classmates, and they're laughing. Everyone in the school is mocking me, just out of sight. I tell them to stop, but they all just start laughing. Louder and louder it gets, until I realize where it's coming from. They're right behind me. I take off, running as fast as I can as the laughing still gets louder. I trip, and fall face first into a puddle, but I scramble up through the pitch-black trees. I'm plowing through the dense underbrush as I hear them. They're hunting me. I can't let them get me! I run down into a river, and I just hope it'll mask my trail, but out of the corner of my eyes I can see fire and I can hear voices, all still howling with laughter. I start running again, until I see a log lying on the forest floor. I get on my hands and knees and practically throw myself into it. I don't know if they can see me, but I don't have a better choice. I just close my eyes and start praying. I wish Lincoln was here. Please. But nothing happens, and they get steadily closer._

* * *

When Lynn opened her eyes, she came face to face with something dark. She sat up quickly only to see that she had been looking at the sleeve of her hoodie. _'What the fuck?'_ She bolted up and looked around to get her bearings. She was sitting at the back of the classroom, next to a poster of the periodic table. _'I… fell asleep in History, didn't I?'_ She was sitting just in front of the cabinets that lined the back wall and just next to the window. At the other end of the classroom the teacher was playing a video about the environment while he busied himself with something on his computer, not bothering to pay attention to anything else. Fittingly, most of the students in the classroom were doing the exact same thing with their cellphones.

Lynn sat back. _'How did I even get here? I can't have zoned out that hard. This is getting weird.'_ She shifted in her seat to get more comfortable, but it wasn't easy, considering her new, stiff, tight jeans. _'What even happened after… After that night?'_ She tugged at the waistline as she tried to remember. _'I think I went to bed but… That was Friday, wasn't it? Or Saturday morning or something? Maybe I slept all day but…'_ As the video droned on she tried to remember anything she could from the lost weekend. _'I think… Mom took me to school, yeah. She went to go talk to the principal about something. But what was it?'_ She shook her head as she pulled her sleeve up. ' _What time is it, anyway?'_ She looked back at the clock; it was almost lunch. _'So, I guess... It's gonna be a normal day.'_ She snorted and reached over to her book bag just as her stomach growled. _'I'm hungry. gonna eat, and then I…'_ But she stopped. _'My gym is gone. Mom got rid of it earlier. So that means… I'm gonna have to find something else to do, I guess._ _But what?'_

The bell rang, but she was too caught up in thoughts to be the first out the door, so she waited until everyone else left. Once she was in the hallway, she took off in the direction of her locker, which wasn't that far away. She kept her head down as she went and ignored the annoying buzzing chatter and she reached her locker. _'That dent wasn't there this morning.'_ She unlocked it and dropped her backpack in there, but just as she was about to close her locker, she looked down at her old friend that she was wearing, _'It's too hot for this… yeah.'_ So, she quickly pulled the hoodie off, revealing the boring white T-Shirt underneath, stuffing it into her locker and closing it. But just as she turned to walk to the lunchroom, she spotted someone smoothly walking though the halls. She recognized curly black hair, olive skin, and the shirt of someone on the Blues, one of the school's two softball teams.

' _Fran…'_ She thought as Francisco walked down towards the lunchroom, shooting a buck-toothed grin at a friend who passed by before giving him a high-five. She took a step as she thought, _'I… He's so… Cute.'_ She shook her head. _'Forget it. You tried that, remember? And that's not even counting...'_ And with a dejected look she turned back around, only to come face to face with at last a dozen pairs of eyes looking at her from around the hallway. _'Who… What did I do?'_ She looked from left to right, until she realized, _'They know, don't they? Yeah. Should've seen that coming, I guess. School rumor mill stops for nobody. 'Specially if it's got all weekend.'_ She did her best to ignore them as she walked down the hall towards the stairs. And it didn't escape her notice that the people that saw her as she walked gave her a wide berth. _'Well, can't say you didn't earn that.'_ She thought as she ducked her head low to avoid looking at them. _'Just remember what Lincoln said, they don't matter. They don't mean nothing to me, or something.'_

She reached the first floor and passed students who were chatting away on their phones or nose deep in books, as well as the ones that were obviously wary of her as everyone made the exodus to the cafeteria. She tried to ignore them, instead focusing on the smell of cheap pizza and other undefined foods that reached her nose. She entered the cafeteria, which was already half-full. Dull brown tile floors, exposed masonry, and a lunch line to the left that was already out the door. _'Still the same.'_ She thought as she got on line. _'I think it's spaghetti today. Well, something that's almost spaghetti.'_ She thought with a barely-there smile. _'I think I've got enough to get an extra milk too. I haven't had strawberry in a while.'_ It took over five minutes for her to get to pay for her food, giving her money to the disgruntled workers who made sure to count every last cent of change.

As she carried her mashed potatoes, chicken nuggets, and chocolate pudding on her tray, she decided against the spaghetti, she spotted a table in the far corner by the window that was usually empty. She sighed and walked towards it, past the nerds and the emo kids, who were giving her dirty looks. As she walked, she passed her usual spot on the table near the front-and-center of the room where all the sports kids sat. She spotted orange hair, and she zoomed in on Henry, who was sitting across from Josie and Bella, with the rest of her softball team sitting not too far away, all chatting with the other jocks, some she recognized from her various teams, and sitting down towards the end, she saw Francisco again.

She blushed slightly as she watched him. He was quietly eating while watching the Franco siblings perform their usual lunchtime comedy act. She smiled, and she got so lost for a second that she failed to notice that Bella was staring at her, followed by Josie. She only noticed once the spikey-haired girl next to him poked Francisco and pointed at her. She snapped out of it and looked around to see most of her former teammates staring at her, although a few were actively averting her gaze, trying to pretend she didn't exist.

Lynn gripped her tray tighter, and she took a deep breath. "Guys…" But at that one word, more than half of them turned to ignore her. "I… I know what this all…"

But one of them stood up; It was Margo. "Go away."

She looked at Margo, and said, "I'm sorry…"

"I'm not." Margo retorted.

Lynn looked down at her crummy cafeteria food. "I wanna make this up to…"

"Maybe you didn't get the message!" One of her football teammates said loudly enough to draw the attention of quite a few other tables. "You're done! Now get lost!"

"Can we work this..."

"Lynn," Margo said, causing Lynn to stare at her ex-best friend, afraid of the words that were about to come. "I'm going to say this once, so you'll understand: We don't want anything to do with you."

Lynn looked over at Francisco, who was giving her a rather blank look, and he just shrugged. She slowly, subtly nodded. "Okay." She said as she turned around.

' _I guess I deserve that too. I'd better get used to…'_ But her train of thought was interrupted when she felt something hit her on the back of the head. She stumbled, dropping her tray from the impact, before she spun around to face the tables full of sporty teens, most of whom were looking at her. _'What the…'_ She felt the back of her head and pulled back something red on her fingertips. Tomato sauce. She looked down to see a paper plate lying at her feet, along with a half-serving of spaghetti, the rest of which she could feel stuck to the back of her hair.

"Wha… Why?" She said as she looked back up at the faces of her teammates, who were almost all silent, looking at her the same way they would a train crash. "Who did that?" She asked loudly.

"Hey! What's up?" One of the lunch-ladies, who cleaning up a nearby table, asked.

She turned to the lunch-lady. "Somebody just threw something at me."

The lunch-lady looked out at the dead silent cafeteria. "Who did that?" Still no answer. The room was silent as she looked from group to group. The lunch-lady stood to her full, and considerable height. "You. All of you are making my life harder. Now stop that." She pointed at Lynn, "Whatever she's done, this isn't help-"

But the lunch-lady stopped when another one hit Lynn in the shoulder with a loud splat, blasting cheap Bolognese across her white shirt. She spun around to face the popular crowd, where the second one had come from. "Who did that?" She yelled, trying to sound aggressive under her obvious humiliation. "C'mon! Huh?"

She walked between the aisles, between the nerds and their books, to the popular crowd front and center, to the emo kids and the sea of sports clothes and letterman jackets that had once been her place to eat. "Who did that?" She repeated as she wiped spaghetti from her shirt, spattering it onto the floor. She turned to the table full of wannabe vampires. "Did you…"

And then another plate hit her on the back, this one was colder. She turned to see a chocolate pudding colored plate lying on the ground. She felt her face flush as she heard someone snicker. _'But… brown. Brown like shit? They think…'_ She looked back. "Stop!" She yelled as she felt her eyes get teary. "J-Just Stop! Quit it!" Nobody reacted, and nobody moved, even the lunch-lady was unsure of what to do. "Plea-" Only to get cut off when yet another plateful if spaghetti blasted her right on the side of the head, and that was enough to break her. She felt something coming on, so she quickly ran towards the door, covering her red face as she did. Even though she was trying to cover them, everyone in there could hear her cries as she ran out. After a moment's silence, everyone started with their routine again, as if it never happened. But as the lunch-ladies got busy cleaning up the mess, a girl at the Emo table was busy thinking.

"Hey, Mags." Said a girl with dyed purple hair and fake vampire teeth. "We sure showed her didn't we?" The entire table besides Maggie and the blonde girl to her left chuckled. The Toothy Girl looked at the boy next to her with overgrown bangs and a pierced lip. "Man, you got a good arm."

"Practice makes perfect." He said, before limply miming Lynn getting hit in the back. "Curveball!" He whined faux-enthusiastically.

But as the rest of the table laughed again, Maggie was still deep in thought. It was only when she felt a poke on her shoulder, and she looked into the worried eyes of a blonde girl in similar makeup who was sitting next to her.

"Em, I'm fine." She said.

"Hey Mags," Said the boy. "Got any ideas for what we can do next?"

Maggie just scowled and glared at them. "What?" The Toothy Girl asked. 'Why you givin' me the stink-face?"

The other girl rolled her eyes as the boy laughed again. "Really, Mags? Really? You gonna stick up for cunt-rag? She knocked you down yesterday, and now…"

Maggie answered by standing up, her eyes locked onto the sports table, where a curly-haired boy in blue stood up and moved to the door. She knew, somehow, he was following her. Maggie didn't hesitate follow him.

"Hey? What I do?" Toothy Girl asked.

Maggie looked at her over her shoulder. "Figure it out."

The Toothy Girl looked at the blonde girl who had been sitting next to Maggie. "What?"

Maggie walked past the spot where most of the thrown food had fallen and walked determinedly towards the doors to the cafeteria, trailing behind the curly-haired Spanish boy. He looked around for a second, and made his way towards the door at the end of the hall that lead outside, pushing it open without breaking stride.

Maggie advance cautiously, getting right up next to the door, and peeking through, only to see nobody there. So, she opened the door as quietly as she could and stepped out, and the sound of something almost like crying met her ears.

"…to tell you nobody at our table did that."

"B-But…" She heard Lynn huff. "W-who did?"

"I dunno." He replied. "But…" There was a long pause before he said, "They asked me to tell you not to talk to us again."

"I… I-I just wanna say sorry…"

"I know." He said softly, "But they're not gonna listen."

"Why?" She whispered.

"Just… Too much bad blood." Neither spoke for a second before he continued, "Lynn, I know you're sorry, but… It's just not the right time."

"When?"

"I dunno."

She sniffled again. "It's never gonna happen."

"Don't say that. Just give it time."

She didn't answer for a second before saying, "H-hold me…"

"I can't. If Clara comes out and sees…"

"Forget her."

"I can't. I know how you feel but…"

"Just… Just go."

"Lynn, from me to you, I hope you can get your stuff together. I'm not sure if I can help, but maybe here and there I can ut in a good word for you, is that alright?" There was a long pause, long enough that Maggie was tempted to walk around the corner to see what was going on, until she heard the door open. She spun around to see her blonde friend walking towards her with a curious expression. Maggie turned back to hear him say "I'm gonna go. Later." But she didn't respond. Maggie quickly switched her position make it look like she'd just walked out the door with her friend, which seemed good enough to fool Francisco as he passed, walking back into the school. Once he left Maggie turned the corner to see Lynn sitting against the wall, obviously a step away from crying into her knees, still splattered with the slowly-drying remains of the food that'd hit her.

Maggie just looked at her for a second, until the lost-in-thought Lynn noticed her, and quickly got up to get back inside, away from her unwanted audience. She swiftly made her way past the restrooms that were across from the cafeteria; they were always too crowded, and past the uncomfortable students who watched her leave. She walked further and further from the bustle until she reached the girls' restroom in the main hall, wrenching the door open unnecessarily hard before walking inside. That alone was enough to cause the lone girl who was washing her hands to quickly speed up and beat feet out of there as Lynn made her way to a stall to get some toilet paper to rub off the food.

' _I think I got some in my fucking ear.'_ She thought as she did her best to wipe away the food. _'Yuck.'_ She threw the brown-and-red paper into the toilet before making her way to the sinks. She flicked the tap on and started rubbing water through her loose hair, picking up small bits she'd missed as she went. _'Who was it? Does it even matter?'_

Lynn sniffled as she ran water over her scalp again, trying to get the last bits of spaghetti and pudding out of her hair and face. _'Nobody fucking cares. Even him. He's just being nice to you before he's gotta get back to that cunt of a girlfriend of his.'_ She thought as she reached for a paper towel. As she dried herself, she stared at her red-eyed face in the mirror, her eyes still wet. She took a deep breath and tried to withhold her tears, instead blowing her nose into the paper towel. A she did she gave herself a quick look in the mirror. _'They ruined my shirt.'_ Indeed, the new shirt was thoroughly stained by cheap tomato sauce and pudding. _'No point. I gotta go get my... That. The hoodie.'_ She thought as she walked to the door, pulled it open, and walked back into the hall, only to again come face to face with Maggie.

Lynn flinched back and quickly looked over the emo girl who stood well over her, her face expressionless, but with a barely-noticeable look of curiosity in her eyes as she scanned Lynn's ruined shirt, covered in dry food. Lynn felt angry just at her style, so she bit back any angry remarks and simply asked, "Why are you following me?"

The girl looked her over once more before saying, "Friday…" And with that one-word Lynn tensed. "You sent your sister to the hospital."

' _Oh fuck.'_ Lynn felt her stomach drop. _'What does she want? Why's she talking to me? Where… Are we alone?'_ Lynn quickly glanced around, only to see that they were alone in the hall besides for a blonde emo girl who was leaning up against a wall, arms crossed and eyes on them. Lynn opened her mouth, but it still took her a few seconds to say anything, and when she did all she was able to come up with was, "Y-Yeah?"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why did you do that?" Maggie asked, expressionless.

"Why do you care?" She asked as she turned to walk down the hall to her locker. _'Please. Please don't follow me.'_

"'Because," Lynn swore in her head as Maggie said, "I wanna know."

"I don't like being followed." She said over her shoulder. "And eavesdropping."

"I'm not surprised. Neither would I."

"Then why you asking?"

"Because I'm curious." Maggie repeated. "Want me to throw food instead?"

"I did it because she pissed me off." And after a second, she looked back at Maggie, who was still following. "Now go."

"Why?"

"In case I get mad again." Lynn said darkly as she pulled up to her locker.

"So…" Maggie said as she moved to stand just in Lynn's peripheral vision, "That means you have no self control?"

"Wha-no." Lynn defended.

"It sounds like you're scared of losing control again." Maggie stated.

"What the hell are you on about?" Lynn asked as she started dialing her combination.

"You think you're gonna, like, hurt me if you get mad?"

"What?" Lynn blurted out as she looked back at Maggie, who was still giving her that curious look. "No, I mean that…" Lynn shook her head. "Just fuck off. Leave me alone." She said as she went back to her combination.

Maggie again felt someone touch her from behind, and again she turned to see the blonde girl standing there, who gestured her head to leave. "No, Em, you can go. I want to…" She looked back at Lynn, who'd finally opened her locker. "I intend on figuring something out."

Lynn snorted as she grabbed her least-favorite hoodie. "What's there to figure out?"

"Why I can't hate you like I want to." Maggie said as Lynn, uncaring of her or her friend's presence, proceeded to pull off her ruined shirt in the hallway. Maggie flushed and quickly turned around to again face Emily, who kept her eyes on Maggie as the now shirtless Lynn pulled the sleeves out and pulled the hoodie on, zipping it up over her bare chest.

Lynn shot her another suspicious glance, and said, "You know what I did, right?"

"Who doesn't?" Maggie asked as Emily signaled to her that Lynn had finished.

"So why are you still here?" Lynn asked.

Maggie shook her head. "I don't really know. But it feels like…" Lynn looked back at her as Maggie hesitantly said, "I tried very hard to hate you when I saw you in there, because of Friday. You knocked me down."

"Did I?"

"And you hurt Lu… your sister. But, like…" Lynn moved to speak but Maggie quickly finished, "But after what just happened in there, what I heard you two talk about, and when I saw you sitting there, I got this feeling."

"Yeah?"

"Like you lost control somehow. Like you're scared someone's gonna make you lose it again. You don't seem to want to be like that though, because you seem like you would take it back if you could."

' _This is seriously freaking me out.'_ Lynn just stood there silent until Maggie continued.

'And I was gonna, like, just forget about it until my friends…" She shook her head. "I'm really sorry. That was really not cool."

"Yeah." Lynn said, distantly. "But… Why are you not on their side? You got every right to be."

Maggie shrugged. "I can't explain it, but it feels like… I dunno, after all this, you're more… There's more going on with you than everyone else thinks. I'm curious."

' _So I'm a fucking lab rat, is that it?'_ Lynn opened her mouth to say that, but she stopped as Maggie continued.

"I wanted you to be, like, a monster or something but… I don't see that."

"Well then what do you see, your holiness?" Lynn snarked.

"You're scared." Maggie said simply. "Every time I see you I can just feel it." She cocked her head to the side as Lynn just stood there, dumbfounded. "Maybe… I feel like you're more scared of yourself than everyone else is, or maybe you're just as scared of everyone else as they are of you."

Lynn was flummoxed. _'She's gotta be doing this for a reason, right?_ ' She looked back into Maggie's big brown eyes, as deeply as she could as if that'd show her the truth. "Why are you doing this?"

"You look like you could use some help." Maggie said. "You know?"

"No." Lynn replied softly. "No I don't."

Maggie shrugged. "Not used to it?"

Lynn shook her head.

"Figures." She said with a smirk. "People are so hard to like, you know? I mean, in psychology there's a whole debate over how good or bad people are."

Lynn slowly nodded. "You think everyone's gonna be an asshole."

"Yeah." Maggie replied. "Like, when did being nice become such a big deal?"

Lynn's mind was racing. _'She… She doesn't look like she wants to hurt me at all. It's the only thing that makes sense but… I don't feel it.'_ She didn't even know what to say, so she settled on, "Your friends are assholes."

"Yeah." She looked back at the blonde girl. "Except you." The blonde girl nodded lightly in return.

"Why do you even hang with them?" Lynn asked.

"I gotta hang with somebody." Maggie answered. "My mom was worried about me being alone all the time."

Lynn snorted. "Couldn't have picked a better bunch of weirdos?"

"Guess Em and I do need to trade up a bit. Oh yeah, this is Emily." Maggie said as she pointed to the blonde girl.

"And you are?" Lynn asked.

"Maggie."

Lynn nodded. "Lynn. But I guess you knew that."

Maggie nodded in return. "Wanna talk sometime? I know a few good spots."

"I got things to do." Lynn replied. "And I… I just want some time alone for a while."

"I get that." Maggie said. "It's another thing about those guys that annoy me; they never shut up."

Lynn smiled for the first time in days. "Posers?"

"Totally."

Lynn looked down the hall. "I'm just gonna… I'll do without lunch."

Maggie nodded, "I gotta go."

"Kay." Lynn stuttered before shouldering her bag. "Bye, I guess."

"Goodbye, Lynn." Maggie said, before turning to walk away, Emily casting her an uncertain glance before following.

"And… Thank you!" She said after her, to which Maggie gave her a small wave in return before leaving Lynn alone.

Lynn was unsure what to do, or where to go, so she just turned to get her bag from her locker. _'So… Her and Fran are with me, kinda?'_ As she grabbed her bag, she looked down into the back-right corner of her locker, where she'd shoved that old love letter she'd written to Francisco. It'd been sitting there for three weeks, and she'd constantly debated with throwing it out. She just shook her head and shut her locker. _'What did I do to deserve that? Why's she being kind to me? I mean, I know Fran, we've been friends for a while. But her… Is she just gonna fuck me over? She's trying to play with me, to make me into her friend so she can get back at me.'_ She shook her head and turned to go the opposite direction from Maggie and let her feet carry her as she thought. _'Maybe, but how? Would she really think I'm dumb enough to fall for that?'_

She passed by the vending machines that were by the gym. _'Maybe… Maybe I will for now. I'm hungry.'_ She got some of her spare coins from her pocket and got herself a granola bar, which she munched on as she looked through the door into the gym. The bleachers were out and a few of the more introverted kids we hanging out, eating their lunch quietly. _'Oh yeah, they got that pep rally for later. I think… It's gonna be the first time I'm not in the sports parade. Yeah, I'm skipping it, I told mom I would earlier.'_ She looked down the hall. _'Maybe… The field should be open. I could go out and enjoy the fresh for a little bit. Yeah…'_ She thought as she finished the granola bar. _'Gimme a chance to relax for a bit.'_ She binned the wrapper, hitched up her bag, and walked down the hall towards the sports fields.

As she walked her mind drifted back to Maggie. _'Was that… Was she genuine? I guess she'd have to be. I mean… It'd only make sense for her to just be fucking with me, but…'_ She turned right, going down the hall that led to the exit to the sports fields, around the other side of the gym. _'It doesn't feel like it. Why not?'_ She asked herself as she passed a group of cheerleaders, who all gave her a suspicious glance. She ducked her head and passed them without a word. _'Why'd she even waste her time, unless she, like, wanted to get revenge for Luan or something. But I wouldn't trust her anyways so…'_ She stopped in the middle of the hall. _'It's… It's real. She's really being nice to me. She… she wants to help me. Doesn't she? I mean… I've got nothing she'd want, so she just… She wants to talk to me just cuz?'_ Lynn smiled again. _'Maybe… Could we be friends? I don't wanna be alone, and it'd be nice to have someone to talk to.'_ She resumed walking. _'Maybe today won't be so bad. I mean, lunch stunk but… I can salvage this, right?'_

She reached the door and pushed it open, suddenly feeling the cool autumn air hit her, almost refreshing her as she walked out into the gray early-afternoon. As she did, she was quickly reminded that she was not, in fact, wearing anything under her sweater. She shivered as she felt her skim pimple and her nipples harden but she kept on walking past the tennis courts towards the still-slightly damp football field. _'No. I can deal with that. It's not that bad.'_ She gave a confident smirk and looked up to the sky as she passed through the open gate. _'You're not gonna ruin my day that easily.'_

And then she felt a raindrop hit her nose, followed by a low roll of thunder in the distance.

"Son of a bitch!"

* * *

 _Five minutes later…_

Lynn walked through the doors to the library. It was a wide, warehouse-like room that was lit by the same aggressively bright fluorescents as the rest of the school. The room, past the entrance desk, was stuffed with aging wooden bookshelves, most of the ones on the far walls reaching far above Lynn, but there were quite a few that were not full sized, mostly towards the center of the room, and these were used to display various objects like globes, currently popular books, a few fake plants and several artistic creations that some students had created.

In the center of the room were matching tables and chairs with crusty red upholstery on them. There were other kids in there, mostly working on homework, or quietly working on the computers at the far side of the room. As she walked in she saw and empty corner with three faded blue couches all arranged around a table piled high with magazines. She made a beeline there and dropped her bag onto one, effectively claiming it as hers for the time being.

' _Well, now what?'_ She looked around and walked to the stacks. Her eyes raked absentmindedly over many a volume on various things that had no interest to her, all while her mind slowly ground into gear again. _'Where do I go from here?'_ She reached out and brushed the plastic-covered spines with her fingertips. _'I guess I should've thought a bit more about this earlier. Oh well.'_ She turned a corner and looked up at the top of the shelves, seeing row after row of trophies seated proudly atop the shelves. _'I mean, I was gonna be a champ, and now… Now I guess that's all gone. I should find something else to do, I guess, but what?'_ She glanced at some of the books on the shelves. _'No. No. Nada.'_ She shook her head and turned to the slightly smaller shelves towards the center of the room, atop which were projects from a contest from the Arts Department.

Atop the shelves were the ten best entries in a contest to design spaceships with scraps from the art classes. Lynn smiled faintly. _'Maybe these'll be up when Lincoln comes around. He'll love them.'_ She noticed a poster off behind one ship that had Christmas lights for engines that had five or six different kinds of balls on it that had the title _SPORTS FICTION_ mounted proudly in the center of it. Lynn immediately started walking towards it, only to stop. _'I need to get away from that. That's what mom and dad said.'_ She turned around and walked back to her backpack. _'It's what Lincoln wants too, I guess. Besides, homework.'_

She opened her pack and pulled out her math homework. _'Where do I go from here? First this, then that… Fuck, yeah, I still got those two essays and the rough draft to get done for Heller.'_ She pulled out a mechanical pencil and sat down. _'This should be quick anyway.'_ So she sat, pushed aside the magazines sprawled out on the table, and started working on her algebra. Indeed, it went briskly. Her work was disorganized, and she never bothered to check it, but she knew the process well enough that she could do it in her sleep, which explained why her thoughts were miles away as she worked. _'I gotta find a way to see Dr. Lopez too. I dunno if mom and dad will even let me yet. I'll just ask later.'_

She looked at the next problem. _'T is three.'_ She thought, just writing down the answer before moving on. _'Heh, I guess I did win that math trophy once.'_ She chuckled as she kept on going, finally finishing up the next sixteen problems until the paper was done. Just as she leaned back to stretch. _'I should probably get to working on that essay.'_ So she pulled out a blank sheet of paper and picked up her pencil to start writing, but she came up blank.

She just sat there with her pencil over he paper again as she thought. _'So, something I worked hard to achieve and something that was really disappointing.'_ The answers to each of those prompts immediately came to mind. _'Should I even write about that? I dunno if I can get away with acting all proud of my sports anymore, and…'_ She dropped the pencil and rubbed her eyes. _'Can I even talk about sports at all? Let alone that game? I should ask mom, I guess.'_ She laid her hands on her desk and thought. _'It's not any mystery anyway, so I guess I could…"_ She smacked the table. _'Got it. Make the first one about me getting there, and the other one… Yeah, that'll work.'_ She wrote her name at the top of her paper. _'And I'll do the rough draft too.'_

And with that she got to work on her rough draft, finishing it just as the bell rang, which caused the few students off at the other side of the room to get up for class. After that she started on her re-try of her first essay. She was already halfway before she remembered that she'd get a plus-five bonus for writing in cursive. _'Frick. Oh well, just do it on the next one.'_ And she kept going until she was almost finished. But just as she was about to put down her closing statement, she heard a voice from in front of her.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" She looked up to see Principal Nakamura standing over her, dressed in his fairly normal dress shirt and pants, minus the tie and jacket. He was a tall, well groomed Japanese man with slicked back hair and a face that looked at least a decade shy of his real age of fifty-five.

Lynn averted her eyes, as she had that morning when her mother had taken her in to discuss removing her PE. But try as she might, she couldn't remember the actual talk they had. "I don't have PE anymore." Was all she had to say.

"Well, we can't have you wandering around, can we?"

Lynn shrugged. "I wouldn't mind."

"I know." He said softly. "But there are rules we all have to follow. So if you come with me, I can introduce you to your new class, okay?"

Lynn, feeling in a very non-combative mood, nodded and put her things into her bag, zipped it and slung it over her shoulder, and walked out of the library with the man who towered over her. "What class?" She asked the floor.

"Instead of arranging your schedule differently, I found I could just swap out your PE for another elective."

"Which one?"

"Music." He said as they walked down the hall to an unfamiliar part of the school. "Mr. Pingrey's band class was open. You ever heard of him?"

Lynn shook her head as she shoved her hands into her pockets. "No."

Nakamura chuckled. "Well, be in for a ride. Some advice, don't lie to him or exaggerate any. He tends to dislike the highly egotistical. Just be up front and honest."

' _Oh great.'_ She snorted. "Okay, I guess I'm gonna be a band geek."

He stopped walking, while she continued for a step before realizing he had stopped. "Speaking of, I'd like an honest answer from you on something."

Lynn looked away from his gaze. She already didn't like where this was going. "Lynn, please look at me." He said in that non-discomfortingly paternal way of his. "Did anything happen in the cafeteria earlier?"

She looked up at him, into those familiar big brown eyes of his. _'Maybe he could find them? No way. Just... Just forget it and move on. It's just another thing to get hung up on.'_ She took a deep breath and pulled her arms closer before saying, "Nothing."

"I've heard rumors, even from the other teachers. I know something happened, but my hands are tied unless you tell me about it."

"It's nothing." She repeated.

"There's no shame in admitting something happened. School regs state I just need you to tell me that you were bullied or harrassed. You can tell me, and then we can tell your parents."

"I told you, I'm fine."

He shook his head. "Lynn… Fine, I'll take your word this time, but if this happens again…"

"I'll tell you."

He looked at her for a second, before pointing at a set of double doors. "Class is in there. See you next time, Lynn."

"Thanks, bye." She said without a wave as she walked to the doors, where she could hear chatter inside. She looked back to see him standing there, watcher to make sure she actually went into class. _'Nosy pushover.'_ She thought as she pulled the door open and stepped inside. _'But I guess he means well. I dunno.'_

The room was much like the library in size, but instead it was loaded with students with instruments, primarily brass, who were mostly sitting, chatting away in seats facing the front of the class. A few other students were sitting without instruments on chairs by the sides, some talking amongst each other as well but generally less animated than those in the center of the room. They all kept talking with each other until the door closed behind her. Much like before, she came face to face with a wall of eyes staring at her, half out of fear, half out of something that could almost be hate.

"Yes?" Asked an adult voice. She looked to see a man standing between a desk and a conductor's podium. He was reasonably tall, and his slightly tousled blonde hair and cold blue eyes gave him a look that Lynn, admittedly, could feel creeping down her spine. She wasn't exactly sure if he was trying to be was intimidating.

Lynn took a deep breath and said, "I… I'm new in here."

The man just raised his eyebrow and looked down at a paper on his desk. "Lynn Loud Jr.?"

She nodded.

"You're late. Take a seat." He said, pointing to a chair in the far left corner wall. "I have two questions for you before you join us."

She shuffled to her seat and shrugged off her bag as the rest of the room remained dead silent. Once she was seated, the man took stood up on his podium. "Good afternoon, I hope you all enjoyed your lunch." Lynn shivered as he continued. "As you can see, we have a new member." She looked up to see him looking right at her. "I assume you know who I am," Mr. Pingrey said, "so let's cut to the point. What instrument do you play?"

She blinked. "Uh… Nothing."

He raised his eyebrow. "Really?"

She shrugged. "I've played some drums and I used a tuba once."

"Can you read music?"

She shook her head.

"So," He began, "I feel safe in saying you have no real experience in music."

"Just what Luna has given me."

"Luna?"

"My sister."

He thought for a second. "Ah. Now I remember her."

"She taught me all I know about music."

"Which is next to nothing. Okay, good to know." He replied, looking at the rest of his class before going back to her. "With that in mind, why are you even here?"

' _Remember, just tell it like it is. But what if he starts making fun of me? He could do that if I lie too.'_ She took a deep breath. "I got nothing better to do." He actually looked rather surprised at that, but Lynn continued, "I got dropped from PE so… Here I am."

He just stood there, examining her for a second, before asking, "So, you have no interest in music."

"Not really." She whispered.

"You have no known talent for it, and are just here to fill up roster space?"

"Yes."

"I see." He said before turning to his class, "That is the best answer anyone in this class has ever given me. Thank you." She blinked in surprise as he turned back to her. "With that in mind, however, if you're in my class, you're at least going to be assigned an instrument." She shivered again, which did not go unnoticed by him. "If you're in my class, you're going to be a backup player at the very least. So, today we'll spend a few minutes figuring out what to do with you, and after that you may just sit back and observe with the rest of today's secondary players, as long as you keep quiet."

She nodded.

He looked out to class. "Andresen, would you be so kind as to lend Ms. Loud your tuba for a few minutes? I have a feeling it won't be long."

"Can't. Don't want her on my mouthpiece."

"And I know you have a spare," He countered, "Which I'm sure you can simply dump into a hazardous waste container and disinfect with bleach once you get home if needed." Andresen slowly nodded and began replacing the mouthpiece as Pingrey pointed to Lynn. "Would you please take her seat?"

Lynn nodded and stood, nervously walking towards the group of people all staring at her, before having to inch her way between the thin aisles if people to get to the spot in the brass section, saying excuse me all the way there. After a minute she'd taken possession of the tuba from the disgruntled Andresen, and was still standing as she tried to adjust her grip on it.

"So, do you know any tunes?"

Lynn shook her head.

"Well then, play a few notes for me. Just off the top of your head."

Lynn closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her mouth, wrapped her lips around the mouthpiece, and simply blew as hard as she could, causing a low moaning noise that managed to somehow vibrate her to her core, whilst making the other students near her all cringe away before bursting into bouts of laughter that made Lynn flush as she kept blowing. After a few seconds, she stopped and took her mouth off to ask, "H-How was it?"

Pingrey just blinked as the sound of continued light snickering filled the room. "What do you think?" He asked.

"I think I'm gonna be drumming."

He nodded and used his fingers to order Andresen to take back the tuba. "For the record, that sounded not dissimilar to a walrus giving birth." He said to some renewed chuckles from the class, only for him to silence them with a look, as if daring them to laugh. "And while that might make for an interesting entry on an experimental band, I'm afraid we aren't quite that far along yet." He gestured to the drummer at the back right of the room. "Klein, if you would please."

Klein simply nodded and stood as Lynn walked over. Much to her surprise, Klein gave her a polite, if curt nod before handing her his sticks. Lynn sat on the stool, which was several inches too high for her, and looked to Pingrey for what to do next.

"I'm going to assume your knowledge is not quite at the level of foot-pedals yet, so we'll leave those be for the time being. Give me a beat."

"What kind?" But he didn't answer, he just looked at her expectantly, as did the rest of the class. Lynn could feel a sickening pressure build up in the back of her mind, one that she was all too familiar with. _'You're gonna blow it. You're gonna fuck this up and everyone's gonna laugh at you again. Why are you even gonna try? All you do is humiliate yourself.'_ She closed her eyes and started counting in her head, only for the thoughts to be overridden again and again. _'You're fucked. You're fucked. You're fucked so hard you can't even walk straight anymore.'_

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't." She slapped the sticks down onto the snare drum and got up, covering her face as she marched back to her seat, bracing for a barrage of scathing words from Pingrey. But they never came. All she got was a simple, "See me after class."

She nodded without looking up, and didn't see him give her an almost-undefinable look before turning back to class and started counted down to the band. _'Nice going, you blew it.'_ She scrunched her eyes closed. _'What the hell, Lynn? You went up there and humiliated yourself on tuba? What's wrong with giving them a drumming encore?'_ As the band launched into the first of what Lynn thought was a mediocre-sounding jazz number, she kept on thinking about things. _'I still gotta do those essays too. Maybe I can sit at the back of Mr. Parker's and finish up.'_ She thought as the band picked up, the brasses screaming. _'It's just algebra, so I can get that done quick enough. I can drop those off before the pep rally, then mom's gonna pick me up. Good. I don't think I can deal with those crowds, not right now.'_

The band stopped. "McKesson." Mr. Pingrey said. "Did that sound right to you?"

"No, sir." Said a boy with a trumpet.

"Layton, you have any thoughts on it?"

"No, sir." Said a tall girl who was also wielding a trumpet.

"The correct answer was that one of you," He said, looking back at the band, "Was out of key. Who?" No answer. "Either you're too scared to admit it, or you don't know you were. I'm going to assume the former. But we'll try this once more, and if you're still out of key, then… Then I'm going to get angry."

Lynn just slouched back into her seat as the band played the same song once more, apparently to Mr. Pingrey's satisfaction. And that was how she spent the rest of class. When the bell rang, she picked up her bad and made a beeline for the door as everyone else packed up. That is until he heard someone clearing his throat behind her.

She turned around to see Mr. Pingrey standing there, and like that she remembered that he wanted to talk to her. So, she just stood off to the side and waited as the rest of the class filed out without delay or question. Once the room was empty beside for Lynn and her new teacher, she approached him.

"Yes?" She asked.

He gave her a cold look before pointing at the drums. "You still owe me a beat."

She looked from the drum kit, then back to him. "I'll be late if I…"

"I will write you a hall pass, this shouldn't take long in any case." He said, putting his arm down. "But you are starting to annoy me."

Lynn's fists clenched as he said that. _'You're not getting out of this.'_ She thought as she walked to the drum kit. _'At least there's no-one else around.'_ She sat at the kit and looked around for sticks, only to see him hand her a pair.

"Now, show me what you got." He told her.

She took the sticks, glanced back up at him as he stood over her, took a deep breath, and looked down at the snare drum in front of her. She tapped the snare once, then twice. She looked up at him expectantly, but he was looking down at her, his arms crossed. So she hit it again, and again, one hand after another in sequence.

His expression didn't change, but after a second he told her, "Add a tom." She was tempted to ask what that was, but she realized that would be a bad idea. So she simply looked to the drums to the right of the snare, and used her right stick to hit it, without breaking sequence. "Work it in." He told her.

And so she did, counting off the number of snare hits in her head, she made sure to add a tom hit at the end of every sequence and then repeating. "Cymbal." He told her. Without question, she added in a quick cymbal hit right after the tom, and repeating it over and over. It was neither fast nor particularly focused. She could feel how uneven the beat was at points, and it was driving her up the wall as she played. "Done." He said simply, which she was grateful for. She took the sticks and placed them down onto the snare, heaving a sigh of relief.

"How… How was I?"

He looked at her for a second, before saying, "I've seen worse." He turned to his desk, obviously to write out that hall pass.

"Like Luna?" She asked, which was enough to get him to glance back at her.

"I'm going to be blunt, because I have been lenient with you today." He said as he wrote, "This is something I expect you to get over."

Lynn nodded.

"I was surprised." He said as he ripped the pass off the notebook, "Since I had no expectations for you, that small bit you just did actually impressed me."

Lynn's eyes widened. "R-Really? Is it just cuz you didn't expect anything?"

"No. Like I said, I've seen worse. But those who were worse were trying harder than you were there." He stood, the hall pass in hand. "And that was not good. Not good enough for me, in any case. I recommend that you practice. For someone who's admitted having almost no experience, you handled yourself well. When alone, I mean."

She took the pass in hand. "Yeah, I know."

"My advice is that you learn to get over it as soon as possible."

"Easier said than done."

"Not if you mean what you say." He went back to his podium. "I see potential in you, same as your sister. Luna is not untalented, and I don't think you are, so I have no intention of letting that go to waste. Lord knows I've seen enough wasted talent in this class."

"You… They suck that much?"

He shook his head as he sorted some sheets of music. "No, they just need to be whipped into shape sometimes." He glanced up at her. "I knew that the moment I met them. Work under pressure is stressful, but working that way without the threat of consequences? Working for yourself, where only you responsible for your own success? That's where so many promising players fall apart."

Lynn slowly nodded. "You… You kinda remind me of my sister."

"Luna?"

"Lori."

"Never met her."

Lynn put her hands in her pockets. "You'd like her. Unlike… You and Luna."

He stared at her for a second, before saying, "She disappointed me. Very much so. That's all there is to it."

"She never mentioned you."

"I'm not surprised." He said. "But just know," He said. "I'm not going to be any softer on you than I am on them, stage fright or not. My main concern is getting this bunch ready for their big shows later in the year, and they need to sound good, first and foremost. This reflects on me in a way that tends to annoy me when this group is not up to scratch. As such, you're a part of this group, so when called upon to do your part, I expect you to, clear?"

"Clear." She answered. "I gotta get to class."

"Okay." He said as he stood, sticking a large, rough hand out to her. "Spend some time practicing. See you tomorrow."

She placed her hand in his. "I guess I'm officially a band geek." She said with a small, polite smile.

"Yes you are." He said, returning the smile.

She just gave him a quick shake before leaving, walking out into the hall. Trying her best to sneak through the crowd, making sure to avoid eye contact with all the students giving her wary looks.

* * *

 _Later…_

Lynn walked into Mrs. Heller's classroom to come face-to-face with something that she'd come to be uncomfortably familiar with all afternoon, staring eyes. She did her best to ignore them as she slunk to the back corner, and got her papers out onto her desk. Once again, she'd forgotten to write in cursive on her homework, but she wasn't in a mood to revise it at all. She just looked up to see Mrs. Heller at the front of the mildly chatty class, looking at her coldly. _'Oh no…'_

But Mrs. Heller just looked away and cleared her throat. "Now, because the school board seems to not care about your education as much as I do, I'm afraid we're going to be cutting our class somewhat short today."

Cue the cheers.

"Of course. So, as recompense, I'm expecting you to read _The Tell-Tale Heart_ by Poe before class tomorrow, since it's going to be related to our topic this week. And I expect you to be able to give me a paper on a theme of the story by Wednesday at the latest."

Cue groans.

"Don't be so down, I considered giving you a-thousand word essay due by tomorrow, but I was feeling generous this morning." She looked at the clock. "I still have you for ten more minutes, so feel free to talk after you turn in your homework." Lynn pushed her papers together and took a deliberately long time to check them over. She checked to see if her name was on them, then checked the titles, and the dates, and then she checked them again. By the time she was done, the line to the turn-in tray was almost gone. She got up and walked over, and she saw Mrs. Heller's eyes follow her as she did. She shivered, because she couldn't tell what that look in her eyes was. So she turned in her paper and made to walk away, only for her to say, "Loud," She froze stiff, and she could tell that the entire class was staring at her. She turned to look Mrs. Heller in the eyes. "If you could please see me after dismissal."

Lynn unconsciously nodded and scooted off to her seat, trying to hide her panic mode as it kicked into full force. _'What is this about? She wasn't at the game, was she?'_ She closed her eyes and shook her head. _'Is she gonna kick me from class? That's gotta be it, but wouldn't they have just told me that earlier?'_ She just dropped her head into her elbows on the desk and looked up at the clock. _'Seven minutes. Why do I always end up staring at this thing in this class?'_

Slowly the minutes ticked away, until the bell rang, jolting Lynn as everybody else stood. She made sure not too, since she had no plans in going to that pep rally anyway. She just clenched her fists tight and only got up once the last of the other students were on the line out the door. She put her hands into her hoodie pockets and approached Mrs. Heller, who had her papers on her desk in front of her. "Lynn," Mrs. Heller said, looking down at her papers. "I'd like to tell you something."

Lynn nodded.

"These." She said, holding up her papers. "Well done." She said, which almost made Lynn feel warm and fuzzy inside. "I can obviously tell how much these mean to you. And as such, since I'm a teacher at this school I'm obligated to ask you," She stood, "How accurate are these?"

"What?"

She looked down at the papers. "I'm wondering if there are any points in this that you may think are exaggerated in hindsight." She held the papers out to Lynn. "Please."

Lynn took the papers, looked them over, and held them out to Mrs. Heller. "Nah." Lynn said, shaking her head. "It's… It's all how I feel."

Mrs. Heller took the papers back with a small nod. "Thank you for trusting me with this. I'll be sure to keep these safe." She said. "I know you're not exactly in a pleasant place right now."

Lynn snorted. "Is that what adults call it?"

"I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and I presumed that there was more to this incident than what circulates through the local rumor mills."

' _You have no idea.'_ Lynn said as she remembered Lincoln getting locked out. _'And you never will, if I can help it.'_ She shifted from one foot to the other and said, "Thanks. You're not… I mean, not everyone does."

"You'll find that the vast majority of people your age to be extremely immature on the topic of personal issues." Mrs. Heller said as she sat down. "Speaking of, the school is not looking into who was responsible for that incident in the cafeteria."

'Why not?"

"Officially, it's not considered a priority with them, and it'd take too much effort to achieve very little, especially considering there have been no student complaints. Which means that it's because of laziness." She scoffed. "As if bullying of that magnitude is something to be ignored."

"Thanks." Lynn said as she looked down at the floor. _'I guess it is bullying. From bully to bullied, what a story.'_

"Sorry?"

"Thanks for, you know, not kicking me to the curb."

Mrs. Heller took her glasses off. "I misjudged you for a long time, Lynn. But I knew there had to be something more under the surface, which is why I gave you a second chance." She sat back and said, "And despite all of your personal issues, which I have frankly heard way too much of," Lynn chuckled at that, "You still managed to turn these in on time. Your issues are yours to sort out, so don't take this as an invitation to come talk to me about your feelings whenever you want."

"Busy?"

"And also it is between you and whoever else is involved. I am willing to keep this professional." She said as she reached for a marker. "But if on any of our future papers you feel like writing about yourself," She uncapped it and drew a circle on the first page, "you may feel free to write them here, as long as they are on topic and of quality." She wrote something on there before pushing it across the desk at Lynn. Lynn looked down to see a crisp red 93% staring back at her. "Your second essay is worth probably 88 in my books, with the rough draft of yours adding five points." She said. "Keep it up."

Lynn just looked at the floor. ' _Ninety-three? After all that strain, I just get a ninety-three? Actually, no. Eighty-eight, with extra credit.'_ She took a deep breath. _'Well, I guess since I had to do it during my classes…'_ "Thank you." Lynn just said.

"You're welcome." Mrs. Heller said, returning to her grading. "You may leave."

Lynn left without another word, swinging by to pick up her bag before leaving. As she walked through the nearly empty halls, the sound of the pep rally in the distant gym, she was thinking. _'I guess it'd be too much for her to get involved anyway. I mean, I've got enough people breathing down my back about this as is.'_ But as she walked down the stairs, not bothering to drop her backpack off at her locker, she smiled. _'Just glad that whole paper thing worked out. She didn't even notice that I didn't write in cursive. Oh well.'_ She kept smiling until she reached the doors to the parking lot, at which point she started thinking ahead slightly. _'Maybe I'll take a nap or something until dinner. I feel kinda winded. Maybe I'll read that thing before I go to bed.'_

She pushed the door open, and she didn't see Vanzilla anywhere near, just a few other students waiting for their own rides under a slate gray sky. The day was still promising to be a wet one, but the rains seemed to have let up a bit. _'What wonderful weather.'_ She thought as she walked to one of the benches nearby. _'This isn't depressing at all.'_ She swept the rain off the bench, dropped her bag by her side and sat down. _'And also, remember Dr. Lopez on Saturday. That's gonna be important.'_ She closed her eyes and nodded to herself. _'I should check the weather and see if it's gonna rain. Maybe I'll take my bike.'_ She thought as she saw Vanzilla turn into the parking lot. _'And I need to tell mom and dad.'_ She picked up her bag and walked to the curb. _'Hopefully they won't mind if I go alone.'_

Lynn walked across the street as Vanzilla pulled up, as she gave a quick glance to see Rita in the driver's seat, giving her a blank look. Lynn just put her head down and walked around to the door right behind Rita, piling her bag in before climbing in. "Seat belt." Rita said in lieu of hello. Lynn just pulled the belt on with one hand as she closed the door. But Rita started driving before Lynn got buckled up. Lynn settled in as they drove around the border of the parking lot, and once she did she looked over at the rear-view mirror, where she could just see Rita's eyes as she pulled out up to the end of parking lot.

 _'How much has she even said to me?'_ Lynn thought out of nowhere. _'I'm... I don't think more than ten times.'_ She looked at the rear view mirror again, in which she saw Rita shooting her a glance before turning to drive north. _'If only I had something to say.'_ Lynn simply leaned against the door of the seat directly behind the driver's seat and looked out the window at the passing scene as Rita drove. Occasionally Rita shot her another glance in the rearview mirror, just to be safe, but it was clear that Lynn wasn't in any kind of mood to get flighty or aggressive. That meant that Rita had no idea what to say, since that gave her nothing to work with.

Lynn and her never really had been that close, and even if Rita liked sports, they were off limits anyway. A part of her almost wished that Lynn was arguing or complaining, because at least that would be something. Yet the silence was starting to bother her too, so Rita thought for a second before asking her, "How was your day?"

Lynn moaned something that sounded neutral.

"Yes?" Rita insisted, trying to hide the sudden flare of frustration she felt.

"It was fine." Lynn said without looking at her.

"Anything interesting happen?"

Lynn didn't answer, but for a second she thought she felt some tomato sauce on her face, which she instinctively reached up to rub with her sleeve.

"How was your new class?"

"Fine."

"Is that it?" Rita asked. "Just fine?"

Lynn looked over at the rearview mirror. "What do you want me to say?"

And then Rita didn't answer. So Lynn just looked back out the window, where houses and trees passed by under the heavy gray storm clouds to the west. As she drove on, she was reminded in a small way of her talk with Lincoln just before everything fell apart. And yet, despite that reminder, she didn't quite know why she was reminded of it. "Back then," Rita said, "when Lincoln found you," Lynn looked back at her, "What did you talk about?" Lynn didn't answer, "You can tell me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your mother."

"And?"

Rita shot her a disbelieving look. "And? What's that supposed to mean? I'm supposed to know these things. It's my job to take care of you. My responsibility."

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean?" Lynn stared at her as Rita sorted through all the feelings in her head. "Why are you arguing with me?"

Lynn shook her head. "I dunno. I wish I did. It just..."

RIta looked away from the mirror. "I'm trying to fix things that have been wrong in this family for quite some time."

"It's between me and him."

"Are you ever going to tell me?" She asked as they pulled up to a light. She looked back at Lynn. "We can fix this if we're open about it."

"Maybe." Lynn said after another long pause. "But not today."

Rita shook her head and sighed. She'd been here before, and she didn't feel like having this conversation twice, so she didn't say another word on it, she just turned back around and kept on driving.

"I have to see Dr. Lopez Saturday afternoon." Lynn said.

"I'll come."

"She's expecting just me."

"Yeah, but…"

Lynn just blinked. "I'm not gonna run away again."

"I didn't say you would."

"Then I'll take my bike." Lynn said.

"I'll talk with your father about it." Said Rita. "I'll… We can figure this out if we try."

"If you say so." Lynn said as she looked out the window again.

Rita simply switched on the radio to try and drown out the strange, uncertain thoughts in her mind in a wave of early 2000s mainstream rock songs. And they just sat listening until they finally hit the usual traffic jam in front of the high school. Lynn closed her eyes and tried her best to block out the noise with Maroon 5, but no matter how hard she tried, the chatter just kept piercing her skull right up until the doors were flung open.

"I swear, it was literally raining cats and dogs earlier." Said Lori as she climbed in shotgun.

"I want a kitty!" Said Leni as she too got in, folowed by Luna.

"And here I was thinking you were a dog girl."Luna said with a smirk as she closed the door.

Leni laughed. "No, silly. I'm a human girl."

It took the three of them a second to notice Lynn, but Lori did once they were in the lane out of the parking lot. "What are you doing here?"

Lynn shrugged. "Out early."

Leni raised her eyebrows. "Really? Cuz of the rain?"

"Pep rally." Lynn answered.

"Oh yeah, those were fun." Said Luna.

"They were loud." Countered Lori.

"I thought we were Loud." said Leni.

"That too." Said Luna with a smile.

Lori shook her head. "Whatever. Anyway, what was I saying about Carol?"

"Seatbelts!" Rita said.

After they all belted up, Lori continued talking about whatever she wanted, Lynn just tuned out again until they were home. By the time they pulled into the driveway, the rain was just starting to come down again. And so they all got out, with Lynn taking up the rear with Leni as they all quickly entered the house to avoid getting an impromptu shower.

"Right, Lori, you're going to be in charge while I go get Lincoln and the others." Rita said as they all filed in.

"Got it." Lori said with a nod.

Rita nodded back at her. "I'm going to get my umbrella and anything the kids might need, then I'll get Lily from the McBride's." She said as she walked upstairs. "Junior, you're to listen to Lori until I get back."

Lynn didn't react.

Lori just rolled her eyes. "To your room, clear?" Lori asked. Lynn still didn't answer, she just followed her mother upstairs.

"Like, how long are you gonna be mad at her?" Leni asked Lori once Lynn was well out of earshot.

"As long as I feel." Lori said. "At least until my friends stop giving me strange looks because of it."

"Yeah." Luna said as she collapsed onto the couch, turning the TV on with the remote. "I was gettin' some weird questions about that."

Lori nodded. "And you got off light." She said as she sat down next to Luna. "I literally forgot how many people I needed to tell about this. For fuck's sake, I told the same exact thing to people…" She counted off on her fingers, "Seven times."

"About Lynn?" Leni asked as she scooted into the armchair.

"Couple of them knew about what happened, but still…" Lori reached for her phone. "One of them literally had a video of it."

"For real?"

Lori nodded. "His kid sister was there." She said as she pulled out her phone. "Then he starts lecturing me on what his sister says she was like."

"Dare I ask?" Luna asked.

Lori unlocked it and snorted. "Apparently she literally gets to the point that she's ginna beat people up until they go along with her."

Luna's eyes widened. "Whoa, dude."

Lori nodded. "Yeah, and there was that whole superstition nonsense." She shook her head. "I had no idea that stuff was that bad for them, I mean…" She threw her arms up. "It was like a rule of law for her when she ran things."

"Wait, like, what about the coach?" Leni asked.

Lori thought for a second. "Yeah, I asked about that before. I think he said the coach left the team for some reason and she took over the place."

"She drove the coach off?" Luna asked.

Lori shrugged. "I dunno."

"I kinda doubt it." Leni said.

Luna looked back at her, questioningly. "Dude, you've seen her when she gets mad, right?"

"Yeah…" Leni said, "But… I dunno, I just feel, like, an adult wouldn't really be scared of her, you know?" She shrugged. "I mean, I kinda am."

"Then why are you sleeping in the same room with her?" Luna asked.

"Cuz I love her too." Leni answered. "I mean, I'm kinda scared of you too, Lori."

Lori had a slightly-taken aback expression on her face, which she shook off before saying, "Got the video."

Leni just looked away as Lori pulled up the video. She instead watched the local weather channel, which had just put up the weekly forecast. "Huh." She thought out loud, "Rain's gonna clear up by Friday…"

"What?" Luna asked without looking up. Leni looked back to see the two of them seriously eyeing the screen of Lori's phone, and Leni could hear some faint shouting coming from Lori's speakers.

 _"Let me go!"_

 _"Josie, just let her go."_

 _"She has to answer for this."_

 _"Come on Lynn, just stop."_

 _"I need to get out of here!"_

Leni stood up, walking around the couch so she could see the screen. And there was Lynn, struggling against her teammate's grip.

"Jeez." Said Luna, "She went and flipped?"

"Apparently." Said Lori, who closed the video.

"Does it go on any further?" Leni asked.

They both turned to look at her. "No. Why?"

"Just wondering." Said Leni. "It doesn't show when Lincoln came for her?"

Lori and Luna looked back at the phone as Leni just decided to go to her room. As she reached the second floor landing, she heard the sound of rain that was freely coming down onto the roof, and she looked to see Rita coming out of Lincoln's room with a mountain of raincoats in her grip.

"Please make sure everyone's happy while I'm out." Rita said as she walked to the stairs.

"Uh, about that…" Leni said, making Rita stop in her tracks. "I was watching the weather earlier."

"Yeah…" Rita said uncertainly.

"On the TV." Leni said, causing Rita to nod in clarification. "And it says the rain's gonna clear up in a few days."

"Hopefully." Said Rita, "They have been wrong before."

"But, if they aren't," Leni said as she shifted from foot to foot, "Maybe we could, like, take a ride somewhere? Take a day out?"

Rita thought for a second. "Lynn and I have off on Saturday, but we're going to see Luan."

Leni nodded. "Maybe we could do that too?"

Rita didn't say anything. "I'll think about it. I have things to do right now, and I've kept them waiting long enough as is. Goodbye."

"Bye, mom!" Leni said with a wave, before turning to go back to her room, before remembering that she was with Lynn.

She took on a second to put on a smile before walking into her and Lynn's room. She'd done a bit to decorate her side over the weekend, including moving her bed in, after a brief fracas with dismantling Lucy's four-poster. Lucy was still sleeping in Luan's bed for the time being. While her sewing machine sat in the corner with most of her other things, which were still in boxes, she'd done enough to make herself feel at home for what she realized was going to be a while. Including putting up her Christmas lights in case she ever felt scared of the dark for some reason. Lynn's side was still as empty as ever, besides her backpack and the small pile of laundry in the corner.

"It's so cozy in here." Leni said to Lynn, who was lying on her back, in just her underwear and socks, and staring at the ceiling.

"You mean small." Lynn said.

"I mean cozy." Leni said as she took her flip-flops off, then her sunglasses. "It's got the right size for that. Not too big, not too small, like, just right."

"So, small."

"Yeah, I guess. But is that, like, bad?"

"Dunno. You're the expert."

Leni giggled. "Well, in my totes expert opinion, if we could, like, get some nice oranges in here, and maybe some stuff to bring out the woodwork, this could be the coziest room ever." She said as she checked herself over in the mirror as the rain starteed coming down in steadily harder sheets. "See, listen to that." Said Leni, which made Lynn confused for a second until Leni said, "With that rain out there and us in here I just feel, like, totes cozy, you know?"

"You're the expert." Said Lynn.

Leni beamed. "Thank you." Lynn didn't say anything, so Leni continued. "I wanna relax for a bit. Like you, right?" Lynn still didn't say anything. "I wish we could have a fireplace, you know?" Leni said as she scooted into her bed. "We're gonna need to get out the quilts soon to, so that'll make it, like, super totes cozy!"

"If you say so." Said Lynn.

Leni's smile faded slightly, but she kept it up as she asked, "What's on your mind?"

Lynn looked over at her. "Leni, I don't wanna be rude, but I really do not want to talk right now."

"Lynn, it's okay." She said. "I just thought it might make you feel better."

"I don't… Thank you for trying." Lynn said, turning over to look at the wall. Leni smiled slightly, before sitting back up and leaning over to pull Lynn's blanket up over her, getting an appreciative moan from her. Leni just patted Lynn's head before going back to her bed and tucking herself in to relax, listening to the relaxing storm outside.

But as Leni pulled out her stack of fashion magazines from her nightstand, she heard Lynn say, "Mom's trying to keep me away from Lincoln."

"Why do you think so?" Leni asked as her smile went away.

"She could've picked him and the others up while we were out. But she didn't want me near him."

"Well, maybe not." Said Leni. "Maybe she just wanted to get you home cuz she's worried about you." Lynn didn't answer. "I worry about you."

Lynn sighed and looked back up at the ceiling. "Some jackasses threw food at me today."

Leni's eyes widened and she sat up. "Who?"

"Dunno. Couple people."

"Do you wanna tell mom?"

"She won't care."

"You really think so?" Leni asked again.

Lynn moaned yes.

"What if it happens again?"

"I'm just gonna stay outta the way."

"Okay…" Leni said, sitting back on her very poofed-up pillows. "What about, like, lunch and stuff?"

"I guess I'll just deal with it."

"I could make you something." Leni said. "Like, a sandwich."

"I'll just wait for dinner."

"You sure you don't want any help with the school stuff?"

"I just thought you should know."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not now." Lynn said. "I just wanna rest before dinner."

"Wanna hug?" Leni asked, hopefully.

"Not right now." Lynn said, pulling herself closer. "Your hugs are amazing but… I dunno, I just wanna… I just wanna take a few minutes' silence, you know?"

Leni nodded. "Okay. We got some time before dinner. Maybe I could, like, use a nap too."

Lynn didn't answer again, so Leni just looked through her stack of magazines as quietly as she could. She settled on a particularly dense one that she'd found shoved behind Lucy's bed. As she perused, Leni spotted something on one page that caught her eye. It was a sweater, subtitled as the "Candy Stripe Sweater." It was red and white, with horizontal stripes, and Leni could almost feel how cozy it would be if the stitching was just perfect. But as she looked closer, her smile faded as she saw telltale hints of cheap stitching and poor fabrics. She made a small disappointed noise that made Lynn stir in bed.

Leni looked over to see her brunette little sister quietly dozing, but she could tell that Lynn was still scared. The smallest twitches she could catch an eye of gave her away. Leni looked over at her sewing kits, then back over at Lynn, and then she smiled. She knew what she was gonna do to cheer her up.

* * *

 **And with that, 100K words.**

 **Maggie continues to be weird to write for, especially since I've decided to split her off a bit from her emo background, since I think it makes her more interesting, in a way.**

 **Funny thing I just realized is that besides Margo and Francisco, the rest of Lynn's teammates are actually non-players in events as I have them set up. I'm not sure whether I should find a way to work them in or not, but I might if the opportunity presents itself.**

 **Emily is meant to be the blonde goth that was seen at her party and in passing in other episodes, but I'll admit I have no clue if that character is a boy or a girl. And I tried looking it up. I chose girl, so I'll stick with that.**

 **Which neatly brings me to my next point. I was able to effectively write _Middle Men_ into the proceedings, but now that _Stage Plight_ has come out (Which used the same Romeo & Juliet idea I did, go figure) I think I'll have to make an official comment that TLH Canon from this point on will rely on this story's event over anything the show puts on that contradicts it. I've been writing so far in a way that allows the show and the story to coexist rather peacefully, but now I think this entire story is officially an AU, which doesn't mean I'm just gonna break established canon, but that will mean I will ignore contradictions that arise due to it. Which is fine, I think.**

 **Also, I have one or two little surprises in the works. That's all I'm saying on that.**

 **Listening to: _Makes Me Wonder_ by _Maroon 5_**


End file.
